Prophetical Seven: The Middle
by Believing Is The Key 2.0
Summary: It was all fun and games before war raged throughout the Realm. Cities are being destroyed, magic is disappearing, and something needs to be done. With the return of friends and some help from all kinds of people, the Molendinum just might succeed in an advance attack against Avidma. In the end, a huge shocker comes into play that finally answers the question: Who are the Seven?
1. The Boys Carpool with Peter

**Disclaimer****: I don't anything that you know I don't own. **

Prophetical Seven: The Middle

Ch. 1, "The Boys Carpool With Peter"

_'3:04'_

Kavika sat in the back of his classroom, balancing two pens on his head. His other classmates found it impressive while the teachers found it distracting. That was why they would take out a yardstick and whack him upside the head. He quickly shook off the writing utensils from his head and began to tap on the desk with them like a drummer. Kavika was known for not staying still and last year he discovered the reason for it.

He was a demigod.

That explained his weird powers of able to shock people and conjure up balls of static in his palms. But what still bothered him was his parents. A demigod is the child of a god and a mortal. Kavika's parents claimed to be his birth parents. He wanted to know who he was since none of his friends were able to describe his nature in any words. If he could solve the mystery, then maybe he could finally be accepted.

_3:05_

Kavika smiled. Summer was only a few moments away. He and his fellow Pranksters, Jason and John, planned to spend their two month vacation in the place they truly love, the Realm. They all figured they could have some fun before preparing for the Big Battle, the fight that would decide the future of the Realm.

He missed the rest of the gang, Morgan, Taylor, Trixi, Naomi, and Kyle, as well as the Lost Kids, Jackals, Mai, and Aquatic Royalty. The battle last year had been the highlight of Kavika's life, but it had also been the scariest moment. Kavika didn't know if he should carry on that type of lifestyle, the one where he could get killed because he wanted to fight for what's right.

_3:06_  
"Whoo hoo!" Kavika exclaimed as he threw papers up in the air in jubilee. He ran to the front of the room, "See ya next year suckers!" He then rubbed the teacher's bald head before racing down the halls of George S. Cranium Middle School.

"Kavika, school doesn't end until 3:08!" The teacher called after him, but Kavika ignored him.

The young Sri Lankan boy darted through the maze of white floor tiles and pale colored lockers to the gym. He threw open the double doors and ran to the group of students in P.E uniforms. Kavika grabbed two students, a Korean boy with glasses and a slightly tan brunette boy, by their shirts and dragged them outside.

"Sorry guys, but I couldn't wait any longer," Kavika apologized.

"It's okay," the boy with the glasses, John, replied, "It would be great to see them again. And you're able to get your proper soldier training, huh Jason." John nudged the other boy who nodded as he high-fived Kavika.

"So John, what's the plan?"  
"Well we need to pack up and say goodbye to our families, making sure that they think we're going to summer camp and we meet up by the park where Peter would provide us transportation to the Realm,"

"Alright, so we meet up at six at the park," Kavika said as he placed his fist in front of his friends and they followed with the same gesture, but never feeling their handshake's purpose since all the Pranksters weren't together, but that wouldn't stay that way for long.

* * *

3 hours later...

Jason leaned against the playground's 'Swirly Slide' waiting for John and Kavika to show up. He couldn't wait to return to the Realm. It had been so long since he last visited. Ever since he became recruited for the Atlantian Royal Army, his training hadn't been properly nurtured to perfection. Weekly, he would get Iris Messages from Georgie the Cyclopes, the Cyclopes that helped Team Atlantis out at Neptune's Center last year who was the new general of the Atlantian army. He had changed from the sensitive and meek Cyclopes to a strong and stable leader.

But the weeks weren't entirely full of warrior training, Jason had also been sharpening his rapping skills for when he could jam with his unofficial band 'Screeching Freaks United'. Jason's passion for his rhymes would sometimes interrupt his training and vice versa. He was so torn in different directions that it would soak up gobs of time just to think about it. Jason was so deep in thought, he didn't notice his friends arrive on the scene. Their greetings were enough to submerge him from his never-ending pool of contemplations.

"Hey Jason," John waved, " Are you ready to go?"  
"Yup Johnny. So how did your parents feel about going away for 'summer camp'?"

"Oh they didn't mind since they figured that I could hang out with people who are more likely to succeed in college and not with you guys,"

"Wait, what camp did you say you were going to?"

"Ivy League Camp for Overachievers,"

"Figures,"

"So what did you tell your parents?"

"Um..."

"Oh come on Jason," Kavika punched his shoulder, "You can tell us. We guarantee we wouldn't laugh until we tell the others and we could all taunt you for the rest of the night."

"Alright," Jason sighed, "I told them I was going to the Gross Habits Intervention Camp. First class is 'Thumb Sucking No More'!"

Jason heard so much laughter emit from his friends that he actually flinched, "Okay, okay. So when is Peter coming?"

And as if nature heard what Jason asked, a breath of wind was blown onto the three boys standing by the park playground. Then tiny figure hovered in the sky, zooming closer and growing as it neared the surface. John squinted to see if it was the person they expected, it was him alright but it was hard to tell. The shape landed on top of the monkey bars to reveal Peter.

Kavika thought the kid that stood before him was some kid off the streets before realizing the Canadian Hockey League Jersey was being worn by his untamed and childish friend. Despite the skinny jeans, Peter maintained the same look, the tangled blonde hair, the sky blue eyes, inability to want to wear shoes, he never changed.

"Hey Peter!" Jason waved to the King of Neverland.

Peter nodded and smiled a signature smile, "Jason, John, Kevin,"

"It's Kavika," Kavika corrected.

"It sounds like a girl name, so I'll call you Kevin," Peter jumped off the metal monkey bars and his bare feet made contact with the tanbark. He didn't flinch when splinters of wood were sure to pierce his heel, "It's a good thing that you're the candidates for the prophecy, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get the correct transportation."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't get him cranky, he's supposed to take care of other duties tonight," Peter laughed, " I said _duties._"

"Who's _he_?"

"Geez, Kevin, you ask a lot of questions. But all of your questions will be answered," The vroom of an engine interrupted the conversation. Jason looked up to see some orb of intense light followed by the sight of the bottom of a car.

"Don't park on our heads!" Peter yelled at the driver, "I mean, you drive like Garfield deprived of lasagna, lousy!"

"You can insult me all you want, but I'm still a god with a Maserati," The driver set the car in park and leaped down 10 feet below to where the boys stood. He stood from his crouch-landing position and revealed his identity.

Jason saw the look on Kavika's face to know he had a hunch on who the driver was. Kavika pulled out a Percy Jackson book from his backpack to be accurate.

"_He looked about seventeen or eighteen," _Check.

"_The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt." _The driver's attire showed no difference than the book's description. Could it be?

"You're Apollo," Kavika said in awe. An actual Greek god, Jason thought. He knew that Kavika had a problem figuring out his parentage ever since learning he was a demigod. Being this close to an actual god, one that could know or be his dad must be a lot to take in.

"Was it my dazzling smile or my bright personality?" The god in the sunglasses said, grinning widely.

"No, your description matched the book's and your license plate says "2HOT4YOU", you're just as egotistical as Peter is,"

Peter was offended, "I'll have you know, I'm way more ego...wait what was the word again?"

"So, since you guys are the Seven, you get to ride in my car. I have very strict rules. No food, no drink, and bathroom trips before entering my car is mandatory. I don't want any accidents. And on a very important note, who wants to drive?" Hands raised, John included. Apollo clamped his hand over his eyes and moved a finger in front of the boys, "Eenie meenie miney moe, catch Artemis by her toe, if she hollers smite her face, eenie meenie miney-You!" Kavika noticed the sun god's finger was only centimeters away from his nose, meaning he was chosen to drive Apollo's solar mobile.

"Me?"

"No, your nose. Of course it's you! I mean your father won't blast you out of the sky," Apollo flew back up to his car. Peter hooked his arms around John and Jason's and shot up to the Maserati's back seats.

"My father?"

"Why must demigods have a lot of questions?" Apollo was aggravated and had already sat in the passenger seat, waiting for Kavika to drive.

"How do I get up there?" Apollo shrugged, "You should know. You can fly."

"I can?" Kavika closed his eyes and concentrated, he would do this to practice his powers. Sometimes, he would get it and other times, he would end up with most of his furniture stuck to his ceiling. He imagined all the things that could fly: birds, planes, Peter. Kavika could almost feel the wind brush his face as he floated upward like an elevator. He thought it was hopeless and opened his eyes to find he actually rose many feet above the ground, higher than where the Maserati was.

Peter crowed while the others cheered, "I remembered my first time," Peter said to John.

"No you don't. The fairies told you in every detail, you know how terrible your memory is,"

"Jack-"

"-It's John,"

"John, I assure you my memory is better than yours," Peter turned his attention back to the flying demigod, wondering how to get down, "Kevin-"

"-it's Kavika!" Jason and John shouted along with Apollo.

"Whatever! Kavika just stop concentrating, but slowly or else you might-"

"Ah!" Kavika probably didn't listen because he lost all his concentration and dropped down from the sky abruptly. He landed in the driver seat, panting, "Buckle up?" he said meekly before putting the car into ignition, "Next stop: Neverland!"He started up the car and drove carefully into the stars. It was better and safer than Trixi's driving.

20 minutes after they've been cruising, Kavika's mind started to divert its attention from the sky to his friends. He didn't need to worry if he could bring the car crashing down. He was calm and collected to be steering the wheel for a 13 year old, especially when the windshields were needed to dodge incoming birds. Kavika peered at the backseat via front view mirror to see what his friends were up to.

Peter was on his shellphone and by the way the conversation sounded, he was arranging an alliance for the Great Battle. Peter had gotten a bit more serious since the last year. Sure he still had the immaturity that him famous, but war raged in the Realm. It wasn't a safe child's refuge anymore. Jason listened to his iPod, mouthing to the lyrics. He began to write original raps as well as arrange his own training schedule, he also had changed. And John, he was gazing over the window, looking upset. Wasn't he glad to be returning to the Realm and visiting his friends?

But before Kavika could try to think about what was going through in that Korean mind of John, Apollo decided to begin a conversation with him.

"So," he started, "how's life?"

Kavika didn't know how to answer that, "Well…I'm still living. I guess that's good, right?" He turned to meet the sun god's gaze to find his eyes foreshadowing some sort of disaster. Apollo was the god of prophecies and oracles. What sort of events Apollo could see?

"I suppose. But nowadays in the Realm, you're lucky that you're even alive to see what damage the war would bring the next day,"

For a split moment, Kavika forgot that his friends were in the backseat, listening to Apollo's reply. He whipped around to see all three of them wore morbid faces. The car swerved to the side and almost hit a tall tree and Kavika placed his hands back on the wheel and checked the fuel tank.

"We're almost empty. Where's an entrance into the Realm? I already checked hollow trees, haunted houses, and even a secret government facility hidden in the side of a mountain. None of them are the right size for this car,"

Apollo pointed to something out into the distance. Clouds drifted apart to reveal the ginormous creamy orb dead center of the sky way.

"A full moon, of course!" John exclaimed from the backseat, "Why hadn't I thought of that?" Nobody dared to answer that rhetorical question. Even Apollo knew about John's lack of connection and belief of the Realm. The time would come for him to believe, Apollo said in his head, already aware of the future.

Kavika's hand grasped the gear shift (Mr. PRNDL, pronounced as Prindel. He liked to call it that) and pulled the handle to the letter R for reversing the car, backing it up away from the moon. He knew that to be able to reach the Realm in safe condition, he must charge at the full moon at a certain great speed. Peter had told him that after they had crashed into the twister with the Jolly Roger.

"The speed is 230 miles. No more, no less," Apollo instructed. He nodded and backed the car further from the moon. It looked like a lollipop from where the vehicle was. Kavika set the gear shift to D for drive and stepped on the gas pedal so hard that it might have broken into two.

Apollo's car accelerated. For the first few seconds, it didn't felt like a wind-blowing experience. Kavika almost complained on how that was a major let down when the speed really kicked in as the odometer read 60 miles. The moon was growing bigger with each distance Kavika drove.

_80_

The entire machine practically rattled in excitement and the engine growled in pleasure. The moon, whose size was once as similar as a lollipop's, began looking like a balloon, and then a giant beach ball, and then a human-sized hamster sphere.

_130_

Peter could feel his cheeks rise to his eyes. The wind was too strong that even his tongue dried out. The speed is unnatural and if he could talk, he might not be able to hear until a minute later, they were riding faster than the speed of sound.

_190_

Apollo seemed to be the only one enjoying this. He let out a whoop of joy as the adrenaline rushed to his head. John, on the other hand, thought about his funeral while Jason prayed. Kavika was scared to even go any further and Peter was silent, either bored or his reaction had gone by unseen.

_200_

The satellite clouded everybody's vision. They were so close to entering.

_240_

"Kavika! We're over the speed!" Apollo exclaimed. Kavika couldn't hear him. They had already broken through the barrier between reality and imagination. The moon's milky exterior disappeared from view and was replaced with streams of neon light, red, blue, yellow, pink, and green.

* * *

The fire crackled in the new Lost Kid hideout lounge. Some of the Lost Kids sat around it, awaiting the arrival of their friends. They were discussing activities they planned to complete during Jason, John, and Kavika's stay.

Somebody broke down the door. The Losts jumped to their feet in alarm to see a frantic Jive rushing in, "Take cover!" she warned. She hid under a table. The others scrambled through the stories of their hideout in search for a gap or space of vacant yet secured place to take shelter. Due to the war, the kids knew not to question the matter but just hide when it was necessary.

The co-leader of the Lost Kids, Lex, was cloaked under her bed with Major huddled beside her. Since she was in charge, she had to be the one to wipe the tears and know what to do in case of emergencies such as this.

Fires: Round up everybody and usher them outside while she would help the fairies douse the flame.

Earthquake: Sprinkle the fairy dust (including Trixi!) and fly high into the sky to avoid the rumbling Earth.

Flood: Same as Earthquake procedure.

It was simple. Just protect the others before worrying about yourself, she told herself before apprehending that she needed to make sure everybody had heard Jive's warning and hid somewhere already. Lex howled like a wolf. Since the Losts had their own individual animal call, she could hear who responded and who didn't.

Various animal noises answered back to Lex, except for one. There was no elephant trunk blow, "Nibs!" she cried. Lex rolled from the bottom of the bed and opened a nearby window to stick her head out the window. She gasped at the sight before her. A flaming asteroid could be seen in the sky, the intentional target being the hideout roof.

"Nibs, get down from there!" she screeched at the daydreaming boy on the roof ledge. Nibs would usually go to the roof from time to time, to let off some steam or just to think. The said boy heard the command and obeyed once seeing the space rock hurtling towards his direction. Lex wasn't able to check if he made it down safely since the whole building quaked violently and she was thrown to the opposite side of the room.

Lex's vision blacked out due to the impact for an iota of a minute and had to be woken up by Major, "Wakey wakey!" Major saw Lex stir before her eyes opened slowly. Still dazed, the leader recalled what happened before she was thrown against a wall. She held Major's hand as she assembled her friends from their hiding places and together, they carefully walked outside.

From their point of view, the accident wasn't as bad as it appeared at first. Of course, the top floor was singed in all sides from the heat of the asteroid. And the whole house lost its straight structure and looked as if it would tilt and crumble, so what? Those factors were all pushed aside as they recognized what the asteroid really was. They squinted at the "asteroid" that had implanted itself into the third floor, and it revealed to be a luxurious car with no passengers on board.

The Losts were planted on the ground in silence, not knowing what to say about the situation. But then some rustling in the bushes broke it. Their heads turn and found Nibs, safe and sound, "I saw them, guys! We need to find them. They're not far away here. C'mon let's go!" Nibs pulled on Lex's arm in the direction of the jungle.

"Who's they?"

"Kavika, Jason, and John! They're here in Neverland!"

"How could you tell?"

"I heard tons of screaming and I saw them fly off the car. Now aren't we going to search for them or not? We better get to them before the tourists do." Nibs hauled Lex and the others eagerly followed. They couldn't wait to see their friends again.

**A/N: Oh yeah, sequel! **

**I can't believe I've gotten this far! Thank you! I say that a lot don't I? Please check out my good friends' stories: sfu99 and taymontu. And check out DomesticHeart's profile, I love it!**

**So, remember to say please and thank you whenever you can! And a message to DomesticHeart: I finally started on 'The Sword of Mercy'. It was so hard to find since it wasn't at my school's library (they need to really update on their inventory). **

**Okay, I hope you like because I have big plans for the upcoming chapters. **

***~Bluefire510~***


	2. The Swirly Slide of Doom

**A.N: Sorry, I'm trying to find time to write the second chapter for the companion story. Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 2

Taylor slashed through the overgrown plants hurriedly with her loyal dagger, Zeke. Adaptability wasn't one of her strong suits, which made it almost impossible to enjoy the jungle lifestyle. She hated how the low branches swat her face when she would try to pass and the diverse species of bugs that pinch her skin, leaving unsightly bites. Sighing, she continued to venture through the flora and fauna with Kyle, Nibs, Trixi, and Is. She hoped she and her group would find Jason or Kavika. She wasn't in the best of terms with John, with her being the one in the Pranksters who picked on him the most and all.

"Jason!" she yelped, waiting for a reply. The others did the same thing, calling out their friends' name,

"Kavika, John, Peter?" Nobody answered.

Kyle was in the front of the group, eager to find his old friends. Kyle, like Taylor, didn't enjoy the Lost Kid lifestyle as much as he would like to. He only had cable to watch and the internet connection fluctuates when you're in the middle of a tropical island. Just when he thought he could have the same life he had before going to boarding school, he had been brought to a magical world against his will. Although, there were perks.

He brushed away some of the plants to show the blue lagoon. There were a couple of lagoons in Neverland, some mermaid-free. This lagoon was one of them. The group decided to rest there for a bit, hoping to gain some energy before heading back to the hideout when suddenly Is, the hawk eye of the Losts, spotted something out into the far distance of the lagoon water.

A shape bobbed up and down the water, a person maybe? And without a second thought, Is plunged into the water and swam towards the floater she recognized an unconscious John and lugged him closer to land where Taylor and Nibs were waiting for the both of them. Trixi and Kyle had already gone back home to see if they others made it back with Jason and/or Kavika.

Once ashore, Is started performing hands only CPR on John. He still didn't breathe in air. Taylor gently pushed Is aside, with a look saying 'Let me handle this,'. She propped her foot on John's chest before giving it a hard stomp. The force made John cough up water and open his eyes. He sat up and glared at Taylor.

"What was that for?"

"I saved your life, you're welcome,"

"'Come visit the Realm', they said" John mocked his friends' exact words they told him weeks before as he attempted to stand up, "'It would be fun!', they said."

Taylor, along with the others, assisted in pulling her frenemy out of the lagoon. She groaned as she carried on the weight of his arm, "Geez, I thought you would loosen up in a year with Jason and Kavika,"

John glowered at her, "I miss you too, Taylor. I sprained my ankle, thanks for caring," Sarcasm oozed from his words before turning serious, "Where are the others?"

"The other Losts probably found them by now," Nibs draped John's arm around his shoulders to prevent him from walking and damaging his ankle any more. The Korean leaned on the Lost for support.

On the way to the hideout, John had listened to so many stories that happened while he was gone; he wished he was still in the lagoon. Even though most of the tales were cheerful, his glum mood hadn't alleviated in the slightest.

"And that is why a giant peach is no longer welcomed in Neverland ever again-here we are!" John realized the group paused in front of a towering three-story building he first mistaken as a very unattractive giant tree. The hideout was exactly how he imagined it. It was as wild and full of surprises as the kids who live in it.

For one thing, there was no regular front door but two kinds of entrances. There were two wooden sets of staircases at the front as well that lead to the second floor that seemed more of a terrace full of bedroom doors. And on the third floor was the main hangout for all the residents. The entire home was constructed out of wood from the Jolly Roger ship and the Lost Girls' hideout.

The other entrance was a gaping mouth of a metallic alligator with red blaring eyes to scare off any invading pirates and hopefully the press and fans. Iron teeth were placed in the mouth like rocky stalactites and stalagmites. And if any stranger dared to set foot in the carnivorous reptile's mouth then the teeth will lengthen to create a cell with no way out other than the throat where the Lost Kids would probably be waiting for interrogation. And to top it off, on the roof was Apollo's red-hot Maserati. The flames were already extinguished, leaving a charred and blackened exterior around the car hood where it made the hole on the roof.

"So what do you think?" Is asked, giving Nibs and Taylor a look and the two nodded mischievously. John didn't notice since he was paying attention to the house.

"Charming?" he said, when honestly he thought the structure could collapse when he enters accepted his answer and replied,"But wait til' you see the inside."

John gulped as his friends eagerly guided him to the gaping Crocodile head Dodging the razor-sharp chompers were the least of his concerns but where the mouth led exactly.

"Take a look," Taylor asserted a bit too civilized, gesturing towards the throat tunnel. John cautiously popped his head inside the aperture. Taylor grabbed his shoulders and gave him a forceful push.

Gravity did its work and John tumbled into the throat. He thought Taylor just did that to scare him but he found out the real reason when he started slipping downwards and his hair was raised in a static shock motion. It wasn't a tunnel but a slide. The pink tube sent him in a world of twists, turns, and even fire. By the time he got out, he was swimming in a ball pit.

Squeals of jubilee echoed in the slide behind him, which meant his friends would be joining him soon. One by one, Is, Nibs, and Taylor appeared in the ball pit too. They were all laughing, John didn't think the entire experience was fun. His friends knew he had a sprained ankle and they sent him on the Swirly Slide of Torture.

"I think they're in the lounge," Taylor said after ceasing her fits of giggles, "It would have been easier to go and use the stairs that lead to the second floor outside but that wouldn't have been fun,"

Apparently, the throat was a slide that led to the weaponry/battle strategy center/ prank planning HQ. It was where the Lost Kids discuss confidential news and a private place for formulating tricks to play on the other kids. John could see this as true since as he limped towards the stairs and was watched by 14 different cameras attached to a wall of computer monitors.

Two flights of stairs later, the group arrived at the lounge. The third floor was the second grandest of all the hideout. A fireplace was constructed on the right wall when entering with a flat screen TV hanging above the mantel along with swords and paintings. Wicker chairs and couches scattered across the room along with slingshots and banana peels the Lost Kids tend to leave around. A large shelf was on the other side of the room with books and board games, and there were seats in front of the large window in the back. The interior wasn't what the Lost Boys and Girls were used to but with the excess wood they were able to try something new.

Nibs noted that everybody was there, including Jason, Kavika, and Peter. He and his group sat down and partook in the conversation. He learned that Kavika and Jason were found in the same place, under the infamous Coconutter Tree. Dirt clearly covered their clothes and faces and they looked exhausted. However, Peter was still intact and had no visible injuries whatsoever. He flew to safety probably.

"So how's your guys' school year?" Trixi asked, still fascinated about how school worked after she had been in the program for two years.

"It was great but the food tasted terrible," Jason made a face, recalling the terrible memory of his food almost eating him. Funny how revenge worked. "So what happened getting all of our forces for the Mega Molendinum army?" The latin name for windmill they used for their army at the Battle of Hunfrid grew on them and decided to keep it for the official name for the good side. Plus, Kyle would joke now and then about how "We will blow those bad guys away,"

Peter answered, "We have support from the North, South, and part of the East. But since the Realm still grows we have to double-check and negotiate some more. Apparently the West is full of evil, maybe that certain Wicked Witch had something to do with that,"

"Anyway, the war had completely reached almost everywhere. Villages and cities have been invaded and most people are fighting for their lives,"

"Almost? So there are a few safe places in the Realm?" John inquired.

"Yepperoony Johnny English," Peter pressed a button on the remote and pointed it to the TV. A map of the Realm lit up the screen and 5 dots were pinned in various places but they were close enough to be a cluster, "The Five Havens. These places have special protections to keep the people within from any physical harm. Emotional harm? I'm not sure. Neverland is one of them. But we're more secluded from the world. The more popular ones are down a bit south from us like Oz and Circuitania,"

"How's everybody, do you still keep in touch with Justin, Georgie, Cecelia, Estelle?" Kavika and John were the ones who lacked any communication to the Realm and wondered how their friends were doing.

"Yeah," Chance's voice was quiet when she said it, "But,-"

"But what?"

"Estelle-"

"What happened to Estelle?"

"If you let me finish then you would know!" Chance calmed herself down, taking in deep breaths. It was as if she was restraining herself from crying,"She led a Dragon Flight Force with her guy friend Lim to find her grandfather even though her parents forbid her to see him. She went as far as Mushroom Kingdom and then...disappeared."

"What? She just disappeared. Why don't you go look for her?"

"We got word that their dragons were found along with their packs three days after they arrived. Estelle would never leave her dragons for that long,"

"So, you fail to realize she's still missing?"

"That's the thing! We can't look for her!"

The three returning boys took a moment to comprehend the news,

"On a totally positive subject," Lex began slowly, "Tasina's been doing well since her coronation and Georgie is now a guest speaker at the Peanut Butter Convention at Atlantis. Justin and Cheeseball are helping the damaged villages and towns with the Jackals. Cecelia and her two new Mai proteges, Jared and Benji have gone...what do you call it, AWOL? And we haven't received any contact from them in a long time."

"So now that we got the formalities out of the way, why don't we go to the lagoon?" Peter asked as he opened the double door window, "It's not a suggestion, just follow me." And with that he flew, leaving the others to walk the way to the lagoon.

"How far is the lagoon?" John asked Tootles.

'Across the island,a 20 minute hike,"

"How am I going to get there?" John pointed to his injured ankle.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this," John said, obviously embarrassed of the situation he got in. Due to his injury and the amount of time the Losts had to make it to the lagoon and back before dark, John was forced to piggyback…on Kyle's back. Besides Peter, Taylor, and Is, Kyle was the next strongest. Peter was at the lagoon already and Taylor and Is formulated excuses not to carry John.

Kyle didn't appreciate the arrangements either. He huffed and puffed all the way, and his legs went numb and almost collapsed from under him.

"We'll never speak of this ever again, got it?"

"The feeling is mutual, Smiley Kylie," John retorted.

They reached the lagoon after enduring a humiliating hike and their friends' stifled laughter. Kyle set John down on a log. The Losts searched for Peter in the area and finally found him talking to a merman on a rock. The conversation was hushed so they couldn't catch any specific words but judging how they rapidly spoke with hand motions, it wasn't a pleasant chat.

The merman dived back down to the water and Peter turned to his friends.

"We need to sail to Kinkow," he jogged into the jungle with the others trying to keep up with him, "Avidma forces are attacking as we speak. They need help."

"Peter," Slightly spoke, right behind the leader, "since some of us are the Seven, we need to stay protected within the barriers. We're undeniably outnumbered and we don't have a plan."

"So we leave people in need to save our own butts? The purpose of the Seven is to defend the defenseless, help the need. For once, I'm putting others before myself. See what this war is doing to me?"

"We're neighboring islands! You know once they're done with Kinkow, they would move on to Neverland," Slightly took action and blocked Peter's path. And in response, Peter unsheathed his dagger.

"Slightly, don't make me do something I will regret later,"

"Are threatening me?"

"Was it my blade pointed to your face, or my menacing glare that gave it away?"

Jive butted in before Peter could lay a hand on Slightly, "Peter! We must return to the hideout immediately. But if you want to go to Kindow, you're on your own," Jive had a point. The other kids weren't too keen on obeying the rule but had no choice. There weren't any means of transportation they could muster up in time, not even pixie dust. Peter had the ability to flee the island though. He weighed his options before grimly nodding and treading to the direction of the hideout.

"Does this mean I piggybacked with Kyle for nothing?" John asked astonished.

"It's not over yet. I still have to carry you back. Come on," Kyle scooped up John and followed the group back home, "Is it me or did you get heavier in the last two minutes?"

"It's just you. No way I could gain pounds that fast, unless I'm Nibs with a hamburger,"

Curly heard it and called back, "I have ears…and feelings."

John and Kyle felt bad, "Sorry," they said together.

* * *

A few hours later, after curfew, in the hideout, Morgan turned to the right side, hoping the shift in sleeping position would aid in her attempts to ignore the violent activity on Kinkow. With it being a neighboring island and all, the screams of the innocent echoed into the night, all those children and families fighting for their lives.

Family

She felt more guilty thinking about family since she hadn't spoken or seen them for so long. They were probably furious with her about the expulsion and all the antics she had pulled throughout the years in the Academy. She couldn't bear to show her face to her family, knowing that she had disappointed them. After pondering darkly on her predicament, Morgan decided that sleep wasn't coming anytime soon and retired from the attempt. She crept out of the room she shared with Taylor to get a glass of milk from the kitchen upstairs.

She chugged down the glass in record time and was already on her way back to the stairs when she heard murmuring over the sounds of the explosions and cries. It sounded like it came from the lounge

"You couldn't sleep either?" Morgan whipped around to find the Twins dreary eyed and yawning. She nodded.

"Come on," Each twin took hold of her hands and pulled her to the direction of the lounge. The door swung open to reveal the fireplace was alive with flames and the room was already occupied. It seemed as if the rest of the Losts, except for Peter, shared the same problem Morgan and the Twins had. No one could sleep knowing that despicable things were happening nearby.

Some of them quietly gazed out the window while others were lightly conversing in the center near the fire. They didn't notice the three coming until Morgan greeted them,

"Do you all need midnight snacks?"

"No," Kyle said from his place on the couch, "But we are really hating the 'Stay within the protective barriers' rule now." Everybody either made a noise of agreement or nodded along. Morgan and the Twins walked over to the window and took the only vacant seats.

"Since we're on the subject, who made that rule up anyway?" John asked.

"Well," Curly started, "They were written down during the ancient times somewhere and Apollo told us, so basically someone really old and wise."

"I think it's the Writer," Major piped up with her delicate voice.

The former Pranksters were puzzled while the Losts shook their heads. "No one has seen the Writer in centuries. The Writer is rumored to be the creator of the Realm, by the way," Curly directed the last part to the Pranksters.

A loud boom came from outside. Lex covered Major's ears. Everyone in the room flinched and jumped. The explosion put a damper on everybody's moods again.

"I thought we're supposed to help people. I mean, if we went to Kinkow and died, those who stay alive are the Seven,"

"But that's not fair to risk other people's lives like that, especially when…" Curly trailed off, leaving John and the ex-Pranksters hanging. The Losts were suddenly squirming and finding the furniture interesting to stare at. Even Major and Tootles had to have others cover their mouths to prevent from saying something they shouldn't. The younger kids were more honest than older ones.

"What?" Taylor demanded, "What were you going to say?

Unbeknownst to John, Jason, Kavika, Taylor, Kyle, and Morgan, the Lost Kids had kept a tidbit of the prophecy a secret, the part that mentioned death of the Seven. Trixi and Peter felt that they should keep that part under wraps so they wouldn't be afraid of becoming the ones of the prophecy.

"…I meant, especially when we still don't know who the Seven are," Nice save, thought Curly. But Morgan saw through it but acted as if she accepted the answer. She wondered if this secret they're hiding was any important. Morgan just hoped in things like this, the secret wouldn't come back to haunt them later on.

**So, another chapter. There's going to be a lot of twists of turns. And I'm going to add in some cool characters and maybe start a love triangle. Some special guests will appear throughout the story. And I hope you won't be disappointed. **

***~Bluefire510~***


	3. From Neverland to Circuitania

Chapter 3

"So, I wasn't the only one who thought staying was a bad idea,"

Peter strolled into the lounge, heading straight to the sword display that ornamented the wall next to the fireplace. He broke off a and placed it into a sheath he created from some kind kind of fur Lex had hunted down.

Lex has a fascination of fur that had probably originated upon her Neverland arrival. Rumor had it, she took on the wildest boar on the island on her first day. To this day, the boar, nicknamed Boris by the island's inhabitants, was never seen again.

The said girl noted the change in sheath and knew Peter had a plan, "You have something up your sleeve, Pan?" she asked.

Peter shook out his arms, thinking there was actually something up his sleeve,"No, but I have an idea on how to escape,"

"Escape?" Everybody sighed, knowing that something like this would happen. When Peter doesn't get his way, he would concoct some crazy plan that would either have a disastrous result or a comedic conclusion. The hideout construction was an example of his fine work. The kids didn't want to take the risk of going along with what kind of plan he had.

"We need to do more for the Realm, let them know we are here and we will help. We should meet up with some allies at an Avidma terrorized town kick butt, leave in a celebratory parade, and repeat," He knocked on a section of the hardwood floor and the entire fireplace shuddered before caving in and descending like an elevator. Behind the fireplace was a secret compartment hidden, storing the most valuable weapons the Losts had ever made/owned. There were also backpacks with everyone's names on it, including John's, Kavika's, and Jason's. This brought the room to their feet.

"Those are for emergency!" Peter ignored his friends shouts and comments as he brought down a futuristic blaster from the compartment and handed it to Curly which shut him up . There were all kinds of weapons ranging from size to power. Soon everybody was armed and were sporting their assigned backpacks.

Then a loud call erupted from outside. No company would be expected at a time like this. Peter and a few brave volunteers rushed downstairs to see the identity of the caller. They leaned out of the the balcony at the end of the hallway to find an infamous pirate shaking his hook in the air.

He didn't actually die at the Battle of Hunfrid. Since Hook was a Character, he would be able to returned from the Underworld, the dead, unlike Imaginates, who were inventions from a child's mind only to be kept alive through belief.

"Codfish? How were you able to find this place?" Peter knew for a fact that Annabeth cloaked the hideout from any tracking device or GPS. Plus, nobody would bother to read over to the farthest part of Neverland to see them.

"Have you checked your lightin' boy? The captain showed irritation his voice, probably due to the lack of sleep since he had to see the Losts so late at night," I'm here to help."

"Why?"

"Avidma is here on the island that's why!"

"But the barriers-"

"They blew them to smithereens as if it were a toothpick wall. And I swear on the locker of Jones, I'll provide you with safe passage aboard me ship,"

Hook had given his word to be an ally of Molendinum's. He hadn't done anything bad ever since the alliance was made official. But his past wasn't overlooked by the Losts. What Hook did when driving the Lost Girls apart left a cold spot in their hearts. Trixi had missed two years and had grown in age during that time. Hook forced a Lost to grow up, a huge crime in their standards. She still wondered if she made the right decision in entrusting the notorious pirate with their trust.

Peter had no choice but to comply, "Ok," he told Hook and then he ran upstairs to alert the others. The Losts then rummaged through cabinets and closets for extra supplies and had filed out of the hideout in seconds flat. Then they all trekked into the dark jungle with Pirate Cove set as their destination.

Major struggled to keep up with her older companions, tripping on snakes and stumbling on rocks were enough to hold her back from the group by a few meters. She felt something was wrong in the air. She inhaled it and recognized a burnt scent, it was evil. Major raced to catch up with the other Losts to warn them.

She was too late. She reached the beach a point where Skull Rock was visible in the horizon. By the time she got there, Hook's buccaneers had emerged from the shadows and were engaged in combat against the Losts who proved to work efficiently under pressure and surprise.

Kavika was using his demigod powers to shock any pirate who dared to go near him while Jason performed some moves Georgie had taught him over the school year. He twirled his sword rapidly like a baton to him hypnotize a few pirates. Smee and Bill Jukes found the urge to dance the waltz out of the blue.

Taylor and Kyle pulled out spears and tried to slash at the enemy, and the Twins defied the law of physics by running up a tree to avoid the action because they were disarmed in the five seconds into the fight. Peter, as usual, took this as a game instead of a serious brawl. He flew over the pirates and dropped coconuts on their heads. leaving them temporarily dazed.

Major thought they had a good chance of winning. But that changed once she felt a cool touch of a hook against her neck and the heated muzzle of Curly's blaster pressed on her cheek. Hook's finger twitched to pull the trigger but restrained himself, thinking the young girl would help the children to cooperate.

"Drop your weapons or I'll shoot," Everybody threw in their spears, shields, and swords into a pile in the center, including the confused pirates, "Not you idiots!" he sighed before returning to his malicious behavior.

"You said you swore on Jones' Locker!" Peter recalled Hook's words back at the hideout.

"I said Jones' Locker as in Noodler Jones from my crew! If you stand near his locker you would probably swear too!" The pirates except for Noodler shiver and made retching noises thinking about the stench. Noodler just shrugged, oblivious to the smell and his fellow buccaneers' reactions to it.

"Anyway, get into the canoes and don't say a word. The girl will die if you try any tricks,"

Uneasily, the Losts boarded the rickety Indian canoes with pirates on each side of them. The fleet rowed their way to Skull Rock, there Hook forced them into a circle in the middle of the formation. Hook left some pirates to play warden while he and the others would row back to Pirate Cove to get the Jolly Roger, taking Major with him.

"In case you do manage to free yourselves, you still have to rescue her. Take the girl to the ship," He shoved Major into the hands of Smee who shakily escorted her back to the canoes. Hook strided over to where Peter was tied up. He was separated from the others so he couldn't tell his plan to the others.

"There's no use in escaping Pan," Hook grizzled, "Wherever you go, wherever you may hide, Master would sure to find you because right behind you is a storm. The storm has eyes, watches you and strikes down in your weak state as well as rain down grief and sadness. You know what people call this storm?"

It was a rhetorical question Peter knew for sure, but he yearned to answer.

"It's called war, boy," he scraped his hook along the side of Peter's chin, not giving any visible damage although it unsettled the being, "It never fully goes away. Even if the Seven were able to save this Realm, the results wouldn't last long. So, I suggest you give up that silly dream of peace and whatnot since no amount of magic would be able to sustain it. It would be best if you followed our orders like the mutts you and your crew are, savvy?"

Peter looked away, his pride wouldn't allow him to succumb to his threat easily. So once Hook exited Skull Rock, Peter tried his best to distract the pirates long enough to brief the Losts on a plan.

He had tried imitating Hook's voice, but the pirates had gotten smarter and saw through the imitation. Peter then used a different approach. He pretended to whistle a tune for a while before cawing like an eagle, Jive's animal call. The girl looked up and nodded at her leader, which meant she had figured out a way to snip their ropes. Jive whispered over her plan to Kyle whose leg was able to reach Lex's tooth necklace.

Once the necklace had been retrieved, Jive used the tips of the teeth to cut her free from her bonds and was able to free the others. The pirates hadn't noticed slip in the security due to the fact they had played a card game to avoid the boredom. But before the Losts could make a sound to alert the occupied pirates, something weird happened.

A large beam of light leaked through a gap in the rock above them radiating some sort of energy.

Jive saw the world blur before slumping to the ground due to fatigue. She woke up seconds later in a new setting. Skull Rock, Hook's pirates, and the light beam were replaced with a city that probably looked like a regular American city if it weren't for the sky. It was sleek and glossy, almost as if it was made out of glass. It quickly dissipated as a regular sky rolled in. Peering down, Jive could see her friends were slumped on a paved road.

Soon they all rose from the ground and took in their new location, still recovering from their narcolepsy.

* * *

"Welcome to Circuitania," a guy with large curly hair sauntered over to them out of nowhere, "I'm Scott, Commander of the Eagle Squad here and you've just been teleported," he introduced himself and walked past them to turn off some device the kids didn't know was there.

It was a metallic circle with green static charging in the aperture. There were an acre full of devices similar to it only Scott was cautious on getting closer to it but managed to hit a button on the side of it deactivate it. While his back was toward the weary travelers, Peter noticed the logo on Scott's leather jacket, a fiery phoenix shaped into the number triggered an early memory.

"Power Ranger. You're a Power Ranger," Peter had met one some time ago before the war began. Even Kavika had been a temporary replacement Ranger but that was another story. Scott smiled at the recognition and led them to an iron gate, "Yes I am. And you're the Lost Kids, right?" Scott noted the somber demeanor on their faces and it dawned to him that they were short one person, "It's the little girl you're thinking about, isn't it? She'll be here soon once we track her location and get the Portals up and running."

"And how long is 'soon'?" Jason asked.

"About an hour."

"We can't just stand here for an hour!"

"You're right. We're going to sit down and discuss about the Realm attacks. Follow me," Scott unlocked the gate and led the group out of the loading center.

"So," Kavika said slowly to ease the tension, "we just teleported?" Kavika couldn't help but repeat what Scott was saying because it all seemed too surreal for him, even though he was a demigod in a magical world, "How does that work?"

"Well, Dr. K, my "mentor", had invented a way to transport people in and out of the city safely and quickly. Unfortunately, she's currently working on a way to upgrade the portals so they could get a larger group of people over long distances. They're kind of like airplanes, and trains, you have to go to a few stops in order to go to the far off destination. We were lucky enough to have some brave volunteers to venture out into some vast regions and place the portals there. They're called the Portal Managers,"

Once out of the center, Scott and guided the group through the busy streets of Circuitania. Since the city was one of the safest ones in the Realm many people were bustling to get a decent place to stay while some of the residents were trying to carry on their daily routine. But nobody dared to cross Scott's path. They created a respective path for the Red Ranger and the group. Soon, they all arrived at some industrial warehouse.

"What is this place?" Kyle wondered aloud. Scott pressed a button and the door opened. It turned out, the warehouse was some tricked out garage. There were three cars and a motorcycle in one area while there was a metal staircase leading up to a catwalk lined with doorways to Rangers' rooms. There was a kitchen by a wall with a few monitors hanging on it. The boys of the group were drooling over the place.

"The Garage, RPM Rangers HQ. It's where we sleep, eat, and train,"

"Woah," Peter went over to touch the red Nissan Sylvia but was stopped by Scott blocking his way.

"Don't touch it," he warned. Scott gets protective of his car's condition, especially when the black RPM Ranger, Dillon, had stolen it. All he could mutter was, "My car," over and over again before taking action and go after Dillon.

"Does that same rule apply to your hair?" Peter joked.

"I'll let that slide since we need to talk in the lab," Scott led the group to the wall where the monitors were. A doorway opened like an elevator and inside was a high tech laboratory with a desk of computers, a few inventions in the works, and chambers for the RPM Ranger suits. A petite girl in a lab coat stood by a large projector screen.

"Thank you for bringing them here Ranger Series Red," she said professionally. She was right to the point.

"K, how many times do I have to tell you. I'm not a Ranger anymore, call me Scott,"

"That won't be necessary Ranger Red. This is strictly business," Dr. K turned to the kids, "Welcome to Circuitania, formally known as Corinth. The war had forced the city to reactivate the shields and rename the city,"

"Some of you are the Seven I presume. I'm not one to believe the mystical fields but I would help in anyway my intellect could allow me,"

"Were you the one who brought us here?" Lex asked.

"No, I merely supervised the teleportation. The mythical Greek deity, Apollo, had ordered me to transport you. Now, we have some matters to discuss involving the increasing numbers of the Avidma warriors. A few contacts are standing by and are ready to talk about situations from their regions," K pushed a button on a remote and on the screen were three boxes.

Tasina, now coronated Queen of Atlantis, waved enthusiastically from the first box, despite what trouble that may be occurring at that very instant. In the second box, Charlie Bucket, the owner of the chocolate factory. He lived in the Suburbs where other important allies like the Cortez family, Matilda, and the Quimby's reside in. Finally, Ronny, who was now leading the Shadow Army, took up the third box and broadcasted from Hunfrid.

"Hey!"

"Hello,"

"Sup,"

"Molendinum status report," Peter ordered the three on the screen.

"Well," Tasina started, " my kingdom is at the moment fine. But a couple of my troops, who were sent out to defend the western seas, were annihilated by the Vampirates today. Georgie is one of the survivors and is going to be resting in the infirmary for months. Somebody needs to take over unless Georgie has a successor in mind,"

"And Charlie Bucket, it's been a while. How are you holding up there?"

"Mr. Wonka and I are sheltering citizens at the chocolate factory although there are some problems,"

"And what are these problems exactly?"

Ronny raised his hand, "I think I can answer that. We have a gauge here in the old windmill that measures the magic quantity in the Realm. Well...lately the numbers are dropping. Nothing major, but it's something to keep an eye on," Loud chatter came from the Hunfrid box which caught Ronny's attention. A soldier approached Ronny and whispered something to him. Both their expressions were grim, "Somebody is attacking Hunfrid, we have to go. Tell Billy-" A harmony of bombs filled the monitor speakers and the his box was full of static.

Dr. K typed furiously on her keyboard to regain the picture, only to have removed the third box completely, "We've lost visual and audio affiliation with the Shadow Army,"

"Couldn't you teleport them out of there?" Charlie asked the doctor.

"The hour is almost up for one last teleportation of the month. But I'm afraid you," she swiveled her chair to face the Losts, "have reserved it to rescue one of your own. I could alternate the location if you prefer to save Hunfrid,"

"So you're saying, we have to choose to either save the Soldiers or Major?" Tootles buried his head in Lex's arms. Being the smallest of the group, he and Major were close. He knew what the others were thinking and what the outcome was going to be. He didn't like it. Lex, the co-leader, could only shrug at Peter, "It's your call Peter,"

Peter paced around the lab, racking his brain for the stroke of brilliance that would help him choose. There wasn't any. He had to think about this by himself.

Major is the baby Lost, she provides the light in their darkest moments and loves them all with the big heart of hers. He could remember the first day he had met Major. Even though the Lost Boys and Girls weren't on such good terms back then, she had created portraits of the boys performing heroic deeds. He was never given a gift like that, and it touched his heart in such a way that he made him wanting to preserve her innocence.

The Shadow Soldiers, however, he had a rocky relationship with. For one thing, Ombra had originally led the army. And secondly, Naomi had almost reached the pits of the Underworld just by trusting a soldier. But they didn't know they were working for the wrong side until the Battle of Hunfrid, and that was when they changed their ways. They built a new foundation from the ruins of their past mistakes and are now running Molendinum's headquarters at the place where it all started.

After immerse himself in a period of thought, Peter knew who needed the one-way ticket to Circuitania. He also knew he would do anything in his power to save the other.

**A/N: Review on who you think the Seven would save? **

**I decided to try and juggle three stories all at once. I'm sorry for the huge delay. **

***~Bluefire510~***


	4. Book of Old

Chapter 4 'The Book of Old'

Peter had to leave the Lost Kids behind, he didn't want to be present when Dr. K punched in the coordinates for who to rescue. He and Scott rushed past the gates to the loading portal docks. The Portal's center didn't glow green like the last time he saw it, instead it was specks of rainbow like a bubble. Peter familiarized himself with the controls on the side of the machine.

There was a keyboard, a screen with the map of the Realm, hundreds of buttons and dials, and three levers each in a different color. There were certain levers he knew he shouldn't pull, such as the self-destruct (green) and the automatic fan attachment (yellow) Scott's eyes were glued to his watch, counting down to the hour. A buzz and a crackle of lightning shot through the city as the shields were readying itself for the final transport of the month. The mid-day sun darkened to a sparkling night sky.

"And the it's going to be 2, right..._now!_"

Peter wrenched down the red lever and the bubble popped. Then the emerald light settled in and the metal structure expanded to make room for the mass of people about to enter through. Brilliant flash of fluorescence later, Peter was staring at the faces of the Shadow Army and the Hunfrid citizens. Ronny clumsily swung his spiked shield around, screeching an incoherent battle cry before time caught up with him. He stopped in mid cry and the bombs he first heard were gone.

"Wha-? Peter?" Ronny shoulders sagged, the danger was gone. He gave his friend a pat on a back in thanks, "Since when did you jump off the island?"

"An hour ago. Now the sooner we get to the Garage, the sooner I get the Losts would shoot me," Peter scrutinized the Hunfridians, he could see the Jackals trying to identify which city they were at. Cheeseball calmed the crowd down before walking over to the two boys, "Peter, any place for all of us to stay. This city is overcrowded by the looks of it,"

"Where's Dustin? And Milly?"

"Peter, when will you ever remember their names? It's Justin and Billy. Justin is with _Cecelia_," Cheeseball said as if her name was a burnt piece of toast in her mouth. She still didn't completely like the Mai, but she's trying to for Justin's sake, "and Benji and Troy at the Lower Elements, the underground place where the People (fairies, elves, trolls, etc.) are living at. They're trying to convince them to use Haven City as a Sixth Haven. I'm full leader while he's away." Benji and Troy were Cecelia's new trainees. She recruited them on the streets of Up&DownTown.

"Billy is with Naomi at Hogwarts, helping her with the renovations being made to allow more people to stay," Ronny confirmed, "So, what's next?"

Scott escorted the Hunfridians to Circuitania High School's Gymnasium where cots were pre assembled. The room was already filled; and hopefully there was enough room. A brawl broke out to see who could occupy the cot nearest to the doors. But after resolving the issue by bringing out another cot, Peter, Cheeseball, and Ronny got to the Garage.

Once the doors to the lab were opened, Peter would have been paralyzed in fear if he wasn't accompanied by two friends. The Losts were extremely upset when finding out Major was still in Hook's grasp. Jive threatened to pounce, only to be restrained by the arms of her friends. Jive had never been one to react with violence and this scared the group.

"Major is still with the Codfish? I thought we're all a unit!"

"Jive is right," Curly supported, "Trixi was driven to NFW because of Hook. Imagine what he could do to Major!"

Peter slammed his fist on the lab table to silence the room, "Stop talking about Major! She's better off with the Codfish anyway," he said coldly.

He was under so much pressure and didn't need anybody else to tell him off. He couldn't save everyone. And in an era of war, sacrifices needed to be made. He pushed past his crew and over to the monitors where Tasina and Charlie were still in their respective boxes.

"Anything else to report?" Peter was frustrated and he wanted this meeting over with. Charlie was the first to recover from the stressful atmosphere and typed with cheetah running speed. A window popped up and took up the entire box. It was Realm Buzz's website. The Realm Buzz is a gossip show popular in the Realm, hosted by Rosario Sanchez.

"I think this would capture your attention,"

"I know Pirahnica and Jocktopus broke up, I don't need to be reminded again," Tasina said from the other box.

"No," The mouse clicked on a button that was marked 'Choose Your Saviors' and out came a page that looked like a poll had been posted, "Rosario released a segment, deluding fans to think they could choose the Seven. They already sent in their votes,"

Cheeseball volunteered to read the results aloud, "Peter, of course, is the top choice with Taylor as a close second. Kavika, Cecelia, Billy, Morgan, and Gildar trailing behind. Jason and Kyle got some votes too. And they also have a few princes, warriors, and fighters. Who's Gildar?"

"Some hotshot viking who thinks he's all that," Tasina answered for her, "I voted in that poll too! I voted for Jason since he's an Atlantian warrior."

With his pathetic mood still lingering, Peter's mouth twitched into slightly smug look. He knew he had Seven material, but his ego swelled knowing that most of the Realm thought agreed with him. Now, he just needed to make sure he gets chosen so his Losts wouldn't. He didn't want to endanger any of them. It would be like Major all over again. Oh no, another selfless thought, he said in his head. And then he wondered, who chooses the Seven anyway?

The lab doors whooshed open, allowing access for somebody. And, out of all people, Apollo walked in leisurely as if he lived here and leaned against the wall. The Sun God hadn't change from his last meeting with the Losts. If he was mad at Kavika for destroying the front half of his car, his benign face didn't show it, "Hey. Sorry for barging in but the giddy twins let me in."

"Gem and Gemma are back?" Scott asked bewildered. Two people, a young man and a woman, hopped into the lab wearing black tracksuits. The man had spiky dark hair and his sister had bushy bangs of the same hair color as her brother's. They did look similar to be called twins and were,in fact, giddy as Apollo described. Exuding so much childish energy, they hugged Dr. K and Scott. The guy was the first to speak.

"K, Scott, how are-"

Gemma picked up from her brother's last sentence,"-you? There's been some-"

"-trouble outside of the city,"

"We barely made it out-"

"-alive! It was so exciting and-"

"there were so many explosions. Boom!"

"Boom!"

Pyromaniacs, Peter thought. That's cool.

"What?" Scott ordered the kids to stay in the lab before following Gem and Gemma out into the garage.

Apollo waved at the Losts, "Nice meeting you all. Sorry about that accident with your hideout. I'll make sure Fly Boy pays for all the damages," Peter sighed in relief. Usually he was the one referred to as "Fly Boy". Apollo walked over to Kavika, the driver responsible, and slipped him the bill. His eyes grew with every digit he read off the cost.

"Wha-? And in seiliu?" Seiliu is the official currency in the Realm. People had been confused on whether to use galleons, drachmas, or clams. All the Lost Kids knew Kavika is difficult when it comes with money. He made wise investments in the Realm stock market and is a seiliu millionaire. But with a wallet tighter than Mr. Krabb's, Kavika would always print out birthday cards as gifts. The card would have the celebrant's favorite thing and type up a message (usually misspelled). It was the thought that counts though, so his friends rarely minded.

"Yes, have it repaired before I do my next round. I only have a few minutes to stick around. I need you kids to guard something for me while I'm gone, my Book,"

"What's so special about a book?"

Apollo got into Peter's face, "A book? This is the most special book in the Realm, not the run-of-the-mill picture book. This," He conjured up a leather bound book with the width equivalent to one of a college dictionary. It had no title and only had the security of a padlock. It could have been a trick of the light, but the title seemed to be swirling around the borders of the cover, "is the Book of Old. Like its name, it is the oldest in history and was probably written before time had even began."

"Well then explain its significance, Mr. Librarian,"

Apollo beckoned the kids to follow him out of the lab. The contacts on the monitor craned their necks to look but their friends had forgotten about the conference. Tasina and Charlie logged off in annoyance. Meanwhile, in the Garage, Apollo set the Book on the kitchen table and stuck a key into the lock, opening the cover. The pages flipped voluntarily to a specific page. The page was written in an unknown language. Some of the kids were able to read it, some just thought it was gibberish.

"This page is about Lenny Rodgers," Apollo read it through, "'_Lenny is a child of a family who died in a tragic accident,' _Oh, how dreadful.'_He was put up for adoption. He is now an accountant in New York,'_" The sun god turned another page, "'_Gusteau's Restaurant, located in the heart of the Parisian neighborhood of Up&DownTown, is a culinary museum that displays intricate works of art...,' _The food wasn't all that good, I mean, the chef is a rat!"Apollo shut the Book and looked at the kids, "So, you get it?"

John understood very well. The Book of Old has every detail of every citizen and place in the Realm, possibly in the NFW. Maybe like a census. With knowledge like that, it could be enough to strengthen or destroy. And Apollo trusted the Lost Kids to protect it? Doesn't he know other people willing to guard it?

"So this Book, does it have any information concerning the identities of the Seven?"

"Yes. The Council of Legendary figures have been trying to find the pages. Father Time said that the pages would most likely turn up next week. Speeding up the process is not an option since it's a violation of the Book's rules and with the evil robotic troops imposing on us, we're not leaving anytime soon,"

Apollo snapped his fingers and a Greek-style pedestal appeared in a cloud of smoke. He set the Book on top of it. He bid goodbyes to the kids before zapping himself back to his home in Olympus. Once the god left, Scott, Dr. K, Gem, and Gemma returned to the Garage and the kids had informed their hosts about the Book.

"Then this should be kept in the lab with top security," Scott suggested and moved the pedestal into a glass casing left over from another mission. After securing the lab with the cliche laser beams, Scott explained the situation outside of Corinth.  
"Gem and Gemma, the RPM series Gold and Silver Rangers, had informed me of an Avidma march. They had recently teamed up with our enemy, Venjix, but as long as we're all under this dome no harm can penetrate through the shields. We'll be safe. Now it's off for a good night sleep and in the morning we're going to be very busy,"

* * *

On the western part of the Realm, the shadows of Unessa Vilan were perambulating from village to village, leaving every building in such a burnt and lacerated state. Women and children were taken to a Haven as the men were sent to fight the army off with what was left of their weaponry.

A noble-hearted man, who went by the name Ricardo Mendoza, marched in line with the other men in the militia. Feeling overwhelmed by this situation, Ricardo had almost refused to join the impromptu recruiting, yearning to protect only his family.

"You mustn't be selfish," his wife had told him yesterday. And with tears in his eyes, she hastily packed luggage and boarded the last carriage to the nearest Haven with their son, leaving Ricardo with only a rifle and a summons to the meetinghouse at the center of the town.

Pandemonium was occurring all around him when he sprinted towards the meetinghouse. Bullets were hazing through the roofs as if they were of feeble straw. Explosions replaced the setting sun as the bombs detonate along the horizon. Getting inside had been the easy part. Once he had signed in, the militia shoved him into protective gear and kicked him back outside to where the action was.

So there he was, jogging to keep up with the other uniformed men. Ricardo lacked experience and harbored none of the bravery his father had, instead having had devoted his time into the culinary art of baking. Sergeant Feathercap, an enormous man with a short temper, pushed his men with his words of encouragement not far from where Ricardo was at.

"You pile of cow dung! If you hold your gun the right way, then maybe you won't risk shooting yourself, moron!" His boots slammed against the earth as he ranted. And as he marched off with the troops, craters would be left in the place of where he had stepped.

Feathercap pulled back Ricardo away from the troops and eyed him bitterly, "And you Muffin Man, are no fighter. But try to keep up with the big boys if you want to defend this village with your last ounce of strength. Even if you don't have much strength to begin with!"

Ricardo shook off his swelling fear and nodded at the Sergeant. He joined the others where the general was reviewing the battle plan.

"A Team is up near the meetinghouse. If the enemy gets there, then it's all over. B Team, you take the south end and fire from the fences. And C Team, you take the surrounding forests. Knowing Unessa Vilan, they would sure have a stealth attack there. Okay, now hurry!"

Ricardo, being on the C Team, trekked to the forests and chose a place near the river. The sharpshooters took higher ground, so he was rest assured that he was very well protected. His eyes searched for any suspicious activity. It wasn't much an easy task since it was pitch black and he wasn't equipped with any fancy night vision goggles, but he dealt with it as did all of the Realm.

Unessa Vilan had grown and reached parts of land that no one had ever thought possible. Some figures such as Artemis Fowl and Gru were deeply influenced by evil forces and returned to their old criminal ways. Ricardo had even heard Gru even imprisoned his own adopted daughters in Azkaban. Thinking about this, he also thought about his own family.

_I hope they're alright. _Family was the reason why he was fighting alongside the army. Not just for his but for every family in the Realm whose love ones have been separated from them during the war.

But then, a low growl echoed through the trees and the ground vibrated under Ricardo's feet. The vibration quickly transformed into a violent quake. Ricardo attempted to stable himself but succumbed to the quake and tumbled into the river. He propelled himself to break through the water's surface to see what had been his last sight. In the far north, his village stood. Then everything changed in an instant.

A blue ball of light was generated out of nothing and expanded to cover the entire village. Once the ball had finished growing, a strong burst of energy and light exuded from it. The light burned his eyes and felt every limb in his body go numb, disabling his ability to keep him afloat in the river. It was over for him in under a minute, with the hope of the welfare of his family being the last thing he prayed for.

* * *

**Unessa Vilan Marches On**

Scott handed Peter the newspaper the moment he came downstairs. The remaining RPM Rangers were generous enough to let the Lost Kids, John, Jason, and Kavika to sleep in their quarters on the second floor. It was another sleepless night since the sounds of nearby battles had kept them up as it had when Kinkow was attacked.  
Peter raised an eyebrow at the Red Ranger, "I can't read, Spandex."

"Well, it says that Unessa Vilan is heading for the Five Havens. They had fully destroyed a village outside of Oz and are coming for the Book" Scott clarified for him, "If they have the Book when the Prophecy page reveals itself, they can bring down the Seven before the Big Battle could even start."

The Lost Kids rocketed down the stairs to get their breakfast just then. Peter told them the bad news, causing everybody to worry. Unessa Vilan had been able to break Neverland's protective barriers, no doubt they planned to do the same with the other Havens.

Everybody in the Garage had been given the responsibility of either patrolling the city or protecting the Book. Gem and Gemma enthusiastically volunteered for the first shift of watching over Apollo's book with Peter and Trixi left to take the second shift, and then it would alternate back to Gem and Gemma. The rest were split into groups to protect and help in a sector of the city.

Jason, Kavika, John, and Kyle happened to be assigned to the busiest and rowdiest downtown. The team of four were on the intersection of Barry Rd. and Pearson Ave when a riot broke out. It involved two men, both were arguing about the fate of the Realm.

"We are better off dead than partake in this delusional fantasy!" A blonde haired man with an orange ascot yelled at a boy with abnormally pointy hair.

"Why say that? This is our home! If you won't defend it, then who will?" The boy's British accent echoed through the streets, drawing in a crowd. Some people showed their sides of the argument by murmuring agreements or disagreements.

"How about the Seven, or maybe the Writer?" The blonde said sarcastically, "There is no one to help us. We would've still be living in the Primordial Days if people like you hadn't sent him away!"

"Such lies! He agreed to leave. And you should do the same," That was when the crowd roared and the argument became physical. The two sides collided and the people were cuffing shirts, pulling hair, raising fists. Kavika and Jason rushed in to smooth things over while John and Kyle searched for any authority or friends for backup.

Both boys fought their way into the center of the crowd and saw the blonde man and the young boy in a fist fight. Kavika took hold of one guy while Jason had the other in a headlock until they were out of the crowd. They were yards away from the violence when the man couldn't hold his annoyance of being detained by someone half his age and began to buck around to get away from Kavika's hold. Jason was the first to let go of his captive and then Kavika followed.

"What was that for?"

"You're not the authorities," Jason shushed the two, "We know we're not the authorities. But we're here to sort this out. Now, who are you?"

The man composed himself before answering, "Fred Jones from Mystery Inc.,"

"And I'm Tin-Tin," Kavika and Jason shared a look. Did they really just break up a fight between legendary cartoon characters?

Jason shook off his starstruck feeling before pressing more questions, "Why did you start the riot?"

"It wasn't a riot to begin with, merely a conversation that lead to an argument," Tin-Tin clarified, "It was a normal day until Mr. Jones here made a comment on how we are left to die,"

"I made that comment because you look at this whole situation as a minor setback to bringing the Realm to a peaceful and powerful age but for everybody else, the outlook isn't looking so positive,"

Jason understood why Fred was fired up. His team had gone missing not too long ago. It was said that the last thing left behind was the Mystery Machine and Scooby's collar. That sore subject got him riled up and had him say things he wouldn't normally say. He would know, he had seen it with Peter. Jason tried to voice his thoughts to the two bickering friends but the police had finally arrived and whisked Tin-Tin and Fred away.

Kavika and Jason were briefly interrogated by the police before walking back to their assigned sector. They conversed about anything to try to take their minds off the riot. During the subject of swimming up waterfalls, a screwdriver rolled its way over to them.

A man in a silver jumpsuit and matching welders helmet passed by Kavika and Jason and didn't notice a tool roll out of his toolbox. Jason gingerly retrieved the screwdriver. He looked for the silver jumpsuit guy but he was nowhere to be found.

"There he is!" Kavika yelled out. The man was crossing the street, over to the gates of the portal docks.

"We got to return this," Jason said dragging Kavika along with him.

Meanwhile, Peter and Trixi had left their sector early to return to the Garage and begin their shift. Peter noticed that the Lost Girls' ex-leader had been extremely quiet during the walk. She had changed over the course of the years, not the same loud outspoken girl when she left the Realm. Did the war change her? It couldn't be. She had participated in a previous war before and emerged the same even when the Realm didn't.

This change was drastic. Trixi would rather play with her hair and stare at the sky than to make conversation. Peter thought about this as he knocked on the lab doors. The doors zipped open. Trixi diverted her attention from her hair to the lab and gasped at what Gem and Gemma were doing.

Gem was fiddling with wires to a strange device placed on the side of the Book's pedestal while Gemma had the Book in her hands, turning the pages and reading it. Peter hurried over to Gemma's side and swiped the Book away. He noticed the glass casing for the Book had disappeared as well as the lasers, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I got bored and thought I could pass the time by-"

"-reading the most fragile and important book in the Realm?" Peter cut her off and finished on an incredulous note.

"Hey! I'm the one who finishes my sister's sentences," Gem interjected from his place near the pedestal.

"Now, what are _you_ doing?"  
"Oh, I'm preparing a bomb,"

"A _bomb!_Near the Book?"

"Peter, stop," Trixi feebly imposed, "They are trying to help. I'd expect you to do something like this, so don't yell at them for doing things you would have done,"

Her voice was quiet but her words affected Peter's actions. Trixi would have scream at him to stop. His shoulders slumped and his frown almost vanished, "But I couldn't detonate a bomb if I wanted to," he muttered.

Trixi approached Gemma, "What he means is 'sorry',"

"Oh, it's okay!" The twins said happily together, "We're used to it." To them, the last minute never happened. But they wished the next one had never happened either. The next minute would lead to a chain of events that forever changes the name of the game.

While Peter was propping the Book up on its pedestal, he stepped on Gem's detonator which triggered the bomb Gem was working on to go off. Beeps and red lights flashed from the bomb followed by a pool of fire, engulfing the pedestal.

Trixi, Gemma, and Gem ducked to the floor. Peter drew out his sword and smashed the fire extinguisher glass casing. But after he managed to grab the extinguisher, the flames had already reached the Book. The cover blackened and curled, and the pages were getting smaller and smaller by the millisecond. Peter sliced the extinguisher down the middle and poured its contents onto the fire, but it didn't help at all. The Book was in ashes.

**A/N: Wow, the Book didn't even last a full chapter. **  
**Sorry for not updating, I experienced a bit of a writer's block.**  
**And thank you for all the reviews and story alerts!**


	5. The Meetings

Chapter 5, "The Meetings"

"Um, excuse me sir," Kavika and Jason had entered the portal docks to return the screwdriver to a man in a welding helmet. Kavika had no idea why they were doing this anyway. He would have let Jason return it by himself. But he didn't want to be all alone in a strange city where riots could break out right in front of him.

They found the man crouching behind a portal, fixing the controls and reprogramming the system. Jason tapped his shoulder and he turned around. He couldn't tell if he was looking at him or not. The welding helmet proved to be quite disrespectful.

"We found your screwdriver," He held it out towards him. The man didn't take it at first. Instead, he took off his helmet. Long blonde hair cascaded from the worker and large hazel eyes met his. Who they had thought was a man, actually was a girl. She was about the same age as them. To Jason, this girl was very young to work, probably need to financially support her family. And he didn't think she would be allowed to work with power tools back in NFW.

Kavika was staring at her, more like studying her. Not only was he gifted with the power of lightning, he had the ability to analyze people's movements and behavior to determine what kind of personality they have. It was kind of a science. The way she held her helmet and stood, Kavika could tell she is a clever kid with a dash of a fiery personality, but not as fiery as half the Lost Girls though.

But one thing was for certain, both Jason and Kavika found the girl beautiful.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, "I thought I was going to have to turn these screws with my bare hands. I'm Alexandra, but I prefer you call me Xandra." she held out her hand, which both boys were eager to shake.

"I'm Jason,"

"Me llamo Kavika,"

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys," Xandra smiled at them, "I was lucky enough to get a minute of human interaction today. So thank you again, but I must be getting back to work,"

She turned away and proceeded to examine the portal's system. But neither Jason nor Kavika wanted to end this conversation, "So, what exactly do you do?" Kavika pressed, using another talent of his. He had done this during Operation Bieber Termination to lure Billy to the trap backstage. Jason saw this and knew from experience that when Kavika ropes someone into a conversation, something is up. He figured two could play this game.

"Yeah, don't you seem kind of young to work?" That sounded a bit rude. Jason mentally smacked himself while Kavika gave himself a victorious congratulations in his thoughts. Nobody could be a great conversationalist on the first try, Kavika thought to himself.

However, Xandra didn't seem to mind, "By any chance, are you guys from the NFW?" After receiving nods, she continued with her point, "Now I get it. Here in the Realm, once a child reaches the age of 10, they are eligible for all different kinds of job opportunities. I'm a portal manager, which is a fancy way of saying mechanic," She joked.

Jason laughed and so did Kavika, a bit too much in Xandra's opinion. It wasn't that funny of a joke. "Okay?" She turned away.

Jason panicked and tried to continue chatting with her, "Um...we are thought to be the Seven,"

Kavika nearly smacked his friend in the head. Jason would go that low and brag? Why is he bragging? He has nothing to brag about anyway. He doesn't even have powers, Kavika thought. He frowned at what his mind had come up with. He would never think or say anything like this about one of his friends.

"Oh really?" Xandra showed some signs of interest but she knew what her priorities are. She tried to wrap things up though she needs to shoo off the boys somehow, "That's amazing. I should really go now," Then Xandra peered into her toolbox and bit her lip, "Oh man! I can't find a left-handed flange turner **(1)**. Maybe if I run down to the hardware store, I might just able-"

"I'll get it!" Kavika and Jason said together.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

"Totally!"

Xandra smiled to herself, "Thanks. If you hurry, you can get there before closing time." Then the boys were off, racing each other to get to the nearest hardware store. She gave a sigh of relief. Now after finally getting rid of them, Xandra returned to do her job.

* * *

"Maybe if we fix it with glue, Apollo won't notice the damage?" Gem suggested.

After the smoke had cleared and the the Book's state had been confirmed, Trixi scooped up the ashes and placed them gently on top of a piece of paper. Gem and Gemma paced back and forth while the two Lost Kids were trying to fix the problem.

Peter gave the Gold Ranger the evil eye. He thought his suggestion was stupid, "Really? You know how to glue million pieces of ashes back to its original form?"

"You can try?" Trixi tried to be helpful. She had been sticking up for Gem and Gemma ever since they were assigned the security job. Peter just didn't understand how even in her strange mood she was still against him.

"Not in the mood," Peter had gone through all of his plans for a scenario like this. Since blaming the others for this mess would only have him deeply hated, he had nothing.

"I thought this was a magic book," Gemma asserted and then Gem snapped his fingers, struck with a moment of brilliance, "I know! To fix a magic book, what we need is-"

"-Magic!" Gemma finished. She hugged her brother, "We should try that."

" Of course!" Peter agreed, relieved that Gem and Gemma came up with something useful, "All we need to do is Wish the Book to be fixed." **(2)** He set the paper of ashes back on the pedestal and stepped back. The others quickly scrambled to where he was at, then waited for instructions.

Trixi barely had any experience with Wishing before, but Kyle explained the whole process of it all. All a person needed to do was think about they want to happen or appear. The magical forces flowing in the atmosphere could pick up this thought and begin to form the object. The thought needed to be strong or else the magic wouldn't be able to detect it. The difficult part, in Trixi's opinion, was concentration.

She looked towards Gem and Gemma. Their eyes were closed and their facial expression showed they were in a serious mind set. Peter was doing the same. He had used Wishing only a few time and the results were chaotic. But he knew he could Wish properly this time.

_Think book, _Peter thought, _Large book filled with pages and letters and...the Seven's identities. Pretty much every secret in the world is in this book, or was, _He shook his head to rid of his straying thoughts and tried again, _Big book, leather bound, Apollo's Book...he could smite me in a second once he finds out! Focus, Pan!_

He waited for the surge of power to collect in the air around him and form the Book out of the ash pile. A fiery sensation pulsed through the area. The surge came. Peter kept the thoughts coming and felt a bigger sense of power.

"Oh no," Gem couldn't help but let that statement slip. Peter, Gemma, and Trixi snapped their eyes open to see the ashes still lay on the pedestal with no apparent changes to it. But that wasn't why Gem made that comment was. It so happened that Apollo made an impromptu appearance during their Wishing session.

The sun god's eyes darted from Peter to the ash pile. Inexplicable fury followed. Apollo's eyes burned a fiery orange as well as his skin glowed a scarlet tinge. He clenched and unclenched his fists, warring with himself on whether or not to do what he was about to do. Apollo rushed at Peter with a speed similar to a bullet shooting out of a gun.

He crumpled Peter's shirt in his fists, "What happened to my Book? Was it you? You did this!"

"No!" Peter pushed the god back, "It was not my fault!"

"It was an accident-"

"-Lord Apollo, sir. We didn't mean to-"

Apollo interrupted Gem and Gemma with, "Silence! What's been done is a serious crime, now I need to know who's responsible,"

Crickets. Nobody said anything. They four tried to piece the events in their heads. It seemed as if there were multiple factors to which helped burn the Book. Apollo crossed his arms, his face turning back to its original color. But his anger was still there, "So no one knows how my Book was burned to a crisp? No one knows? On your watch, if I may add?"

Again. No response.

"Well, until you tell me, I guess you're all coming with me,"

"Where?" Trixi spoke up.

Apollo turned away from her, ignored her question. Instead, he waved his hands as a magician would and a plastic bag, a shovel, and rubber gloves materialized. Using newly acquired equipment, he scooped up the ashes and shook them into the bag, for forensic evidence.

"She said, 'Where?', Apollo!" Peter, too wanted to know. Apollo was known as a jovial spirit, the guy who would be the last one to leave a party, the guy who was laid back and okay with everything. But when it came to such things like his car and Book...Peter's spine chilled at the thought of what he would serve as punishment.

"To Azkaban, of course," Apollo said passively, "You're all under arrest for the destruction of a sacred document,"

* * *

In another part of the Realm, Avidma's darkest forces met under one roof for the very first time. It was a big deal. Packing a room of the most malicious villains wasn't the easiest and or most peaceful event of the night.

General Brute made a famous appearance at this special night, however he didn't receive any positive recognition. He was known as the man who lost to a league of kids during the Battle of Hunfrid. He had pulled a few strings and was able to free himself from Azkaban. Oh how terrible that place was! Most men's deepest fears and nightmares were imprisoned in that very institution. Now, Brute couldn't wait to turn the tables on the one who put him there in the first place: Ronald Moore, otherwise known as Ronny.

He marched through the doors of the ballroom of the Forgotten Castle. The Forgotten Castle, located in the heart of Unessa Vilan, had history. It marked the place where the Ancients fought against the Metas for control of the Realm. The Ancients lost, forcing the Writer and his followers to leave and never return.

The ex-general saw a few familiar faces. Well, faces that he had seen on Wanted signs and on newspaper covers that is.

Artemis Fowl stood in the corner, trying to keep a conversation with a couple of henchmen. He found himself to be quite bored with the way the chat was going since he was used to intelligent quips and banters. The White Witch, the Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, Jafar, as well as other evil rulers were in a heated argument regarding their kingdoms and which area they planned to conquer.

Sorcerers of different kinds like Voldemort and Jareth the Goblin King were sitting at the table, awaiting for the leader who arranged this organization in the first place. As soon as Brute settled himself next to the head chair, the room's occupants began to whisper and snicker. Even the robots who weren't programmed to have emotions laughed and acted like gossiping schoolgirls.

Then, Captain James Hook burst onto the premises along with the Shadow Thief, Ombra. This didn't end the whispers, only amplified them. The two were casted down as failures among the evil community, for having been beat by Molendinum was a major failure.

Hook ignored this behavior his allies had exhibited and carried himself with the most dignity he managed to scrape up during night before. He had double-crossed Pan, assisted the Vampirates into breaking through the Neverland barriers and captured a Lost Kid. It was enough to make his ego swell to the size of the Queen of Hearts' head.

He sat in between Voldemort and Venjix, the sole enemy of the RPM Power Rangers, "Good evening, gentlemen," he greeted them.

"Hook," Voldemort croaked, his claw-like fingers were tapping on the table in impatience, "why must you have a place at this table? You have not fully confirmed your allegiance to us. How do we know if we could trust you?"

Hook didn't let the Dark Lord's words affect his mood all that much, instead he continued the conversation civilly, "I had only joined Molendinum side in order to get Pan's trust. And when I finally had it, I betrayed him. Now, I have one of the Lost Kids,"

The onlookers were whispering to one another, whether or not these were impressed or ridiculing whispers, Hook would have never noticed. Voldemort was one of the most respected villain in the evil community, it was he who had made villages erupt in flames and killed most of the wizard populous with a flick of his wrist. It was rumored that he was the Captain, the leader who formed the Avidma organization.

"Oh yes, I heard," Voldemort said with sarcastic enthusiasm, "You captured a girl! If you slaughtered her the instant she was in your clutches, then maybe you wouldn't be a scum by this table,"

"The day I'm scum is the day you get a nose job," **(3) **The Queen of Hearts snickered at that while Artemis Fowl made an attempt to crack a grin. Lord Voldemort consciously touched the two indents that made his nose and glared. Hook was on a roll but Ombra had yet to make an impression on the committee. He had been dead silent since the meeting had began.

The double doors opened and walked in a man wearing a leather jacket and a Navy captain hat. It was the Captain. If not for the hat, Avidma wouldn't have any idea who he was. The villains scrambled to be seated, not in fear but in respect. Some took their own time to reach their seats. Once everyone was sitting before their leader, he began to speak.

Back in Circuitania, news had spread in a matter of hours that Peter, Trixi, Gem, and Gemma had been accused of destroying the Book of Old. The Lost Kids, Kavika, John, and Jason dropped all other duties and assembled at Town Hall. Saving their friends is their #1 priority.

Lex lead the group into the headquarters. It was constructed underground after the original HQ had been destroyed in order to protect the city from Venjix. 3 flights of stairs later, they arrived at a dark room that could have been a close resemblance to the ballroom of the Forgotten Castle with the exception of the attendees who were for the side of good.

Tasina and Charlie had made a reappearance on the monitors as well as some other notable famous allies of Molendinum such as Despereaux and Horton the elephant. Ronny and Cheeseball were seated next to a group of military executives as well as the recently bailed Tin-Tin and Fred Jones. Important and most influential characters who happened to be in the area had come to this meeting. Aang, the Avatar, sat next to Violet Baudelaire while the Once-Ler and Mario, the video game megastar, were conversing about the evolutions in the digital world as they took their seats on both sides of Xandra.

Even Xandra, the portal manager from earlier, counted as an important attendee much to Jason and Kavika's delight.

Colonel Truman, Scott's father, took his place as head of the table. He had witnessed robot attacks that had wiped out most of the area, had heard cries for help but couldn't turn the rescue car around, the current war was like nothing he had ever participated before. But he must do his very best to preserve this world as much as possible.

"I see everybody is here. Meeting commence!" The Colonel slammed his gavel on the table to get people's attention, "First topic to discuss: the recent incident involving two of our very own Rangers and two of the Lost Kids. They had been tried for the destruction of The Book. The Book held the very identities of our saviors and so much more,"

A military official gave the Colonel a piece of paper, "According to this note Apollo had left for us, the accused must be defended in court 3 days from now," The Colonel changed the tone of his gruff commanding voice to address his opinion on the subject, "I believe they hadn't committed this crime intentionally. The Rangers have never willingly performed any acts of defiance before and I'm sure the Lost Kids haven't either,"

"We wish to represent our friends in the trial, Colonel Truman," He looked at Lex who had stepped forward to state her wish. He granted it, but as important as this issue was, he had to move on to something on the military's top priorities list.

"Now, on the subject of the Avidma attacks..." The room had an unpleasant feeling in the air. The name of the enemy had everyone's attention.

Scott abruptly stood up, "We need an advance attack. Squash the problem at its source," he turned to his dad, "Something we should have done with Venjix,"

"Scott! You know how risky that is. I can't afford to lose more troops,"

"But-"

"Quiet, son!" The Colonel softened up a bit, "We'll talk about this later," he whispered to him.

Scott, embarrassed at his outburst, sank into his seat. Tasina was deeply moved on how Scott's relationship resembled how things used to be with dad. Her dad wouldn't listen to her about her views on the kingdom. That was until they sat down and talked before her coronation. It really opened her eyes on what her dad's thoughts were and why he did the things he did. She just needed to give Scott a nudge in the right direction.

"I think that's a great idea," Tasina exclaimed from her monitor. She not only did this for Scott but actually thought that was exactly what the Realm needed to even the odds, "I'll supply some of my best warriors. One of them is actually standing right there," she referred to Jason.

Jason smirked and winked at Xandra, hinting it was him. She smiled uneasily before turning away.

"This could work," Tin-Tin said, "If we assemble the right troops with certain abilities and talents, we could actually keep Avidma's forces from growing to buy us some time to figure out the Seven's identities,"

The table bursted into vivid conversation about tactics and the journey. Scott was surprised on how many people agreed with this idea. His Rangers would have agreed as well, nothing had really changed from their time fighting Venjix.

Scott glanced at his father. He was rubbing his temples, trying to figure out what his next move would be. Then he stood up, "If you want to go and kill yourselves out there, go ahead. I'll rally up my troops and send any volunteers along with them. Xandra?"

"Yes, sir?"

"How are we looking on the portals?"

"Um...we experienced the biggest transport we ever had this afternoon. I'm not sure we could recalibrate the shields as well as prepare for transporting the troops to the nearest Haven,"

"So what do you suggest?"

Xandra flipped through her notes, but the possible solutions were just as risky as the mission planned, "If we rewire the power from being sent to the shields and send them to the portals instead, we could have enough power to send the troops to Oz,"

"How much power are we talking here?"

After calculating and recalculating the numbers, Xandra frowned and anxiety took over, "Sir, we need all of it."

"But that means the shields can't recharge. Circuitania won't be protected from any attacks," Scott stated.  
"Son, this is your idea," the Colonel said, "It's your call,"

Scott was too overwhelmed to be rational on the possibilities of his choice. He wanted vengeance on Venjix. He took his brother away from him and nearly killed his team. He needed to prove to him that he was not one to mess with twice.

"We'll do it. Xandra, how long do we have until departure?"

"If I start right now, then tomorrow afternoon. I'll be sure to notify the press on my out," Xandra picked up her stuff and shuffled out of the room. Kavika and Jason were too busy staring at her to be paying attention to the Colonel's instructions. John had to slap both their heads to get them to listen.

It was fortunate he did because at that right moment, another monitor popped up with Naomi's frantic face appearing on the screen.

"All Molendinum members must see this,"

"That's some 'hello' Naomi," Morgan commented, "What's this about?"

"Avidma is having a meeting right now! I had sent someone in to scope the place out and listen in on their plans,"

She typed furiously on her keyboard before bringing up a live video link that replaced her face and took up the entire screen.

The camera was held in a way to get an amazing view of the the meeting yet went unnoticed by any attendees in the room. The person behind the camera must be in disguise.

"Alright listen, Molendinum is falling fast, but not fast enough," He paced around the room, taking his time to fully observe his allies with no satisfaction. They were slowly but surely succeeding. However, things weren't moving along as the Captain planned.

He stalked the table as if he was a wolf creeping on his prey. The rim of the Captain's hat veiled his face and the room's dim lighting also made it difficult to look directly into his eyes. The Captain examined each and every one of his allies. They all thought they were conniving, malicious, and overall villainous. But they weren't. Their powers and abilities combined weren't able to match his.

"I think," The Captain sat down, "We need to kill the problem at its source,"

"Is it Pan, sir?" Hook timidly asked.

"Think harder...anyone else?" Nobody had a suggestion. They were too entranced by the powerful aura radiating from the Captain.

"Magic,"

Voldemort jumped to his feet, " Sir, I strongly disagree. I'm sure half of us use magic to complete our tasks. Even a Muggle, like yourself, should know not to mess with magic," The sorcerer pulled out his wand to cast a spell on the leader who dared threatened to distinguish magic.

A brilliant flash of green light filled the room. It momentarily blinded everyone. By the time the light died down, Hook found the infamous Lord Voldemort roasted and giving off smoke, his own spell had backfired.

Eyes went straight to the Captain who held a scepter in his gloved hand, "Be a little careful next time, Tom," Voldemort cringed at his real name, "I'm no Muggle. You should learned a few things about courtesy and respect for your superiors. And you also didn't let me finish, you can all keep your powers. You just need to listen to me first because I'm the one with the plan and the connections."

Voldemort quietly sat back down. Even the Captain had the Dark Sorcerer bow before him, the Colonel thought as he watched the scene unfold before him on the monitor, that means this leader is too dangerous. The Captain, on the other hand, was quite exhausted on feeding his associates lies. Of course there weren't going to be enough magic to go around, only enough for the Captain himself.

"So, what's the plan?"

The Captain snapped his fingers and servants flooded around the table with silver trays and porcelain cups, "Everybody has received their Plan S folder prior to this meeting, all the details are enclosed with your target portfolios, "

There were more secrets and plans that these spies couldn't obtain. There was a flaw in Naomi's plan, thought the Colonel.

"There are a few things to discuss such as expansion of kingdoms and to what degree should we use our dastardly abilities, but I could not plot on an empty stomach," The Captain cracked a grin and the table erupted into a nervous fit of laughter.

This was when everything went wrong. Hook passed the mashed potatoes over to Ombra, but using a hook, he clumsily dropped the bowl on the floor.

"Pardon my hook, Ombra," Then the pirate crouched to the ground and tried to scoop up any remains of it the potatoes back into the bowl, "Better to slit throats but could never turn knobs or hold a silverware," He muttered. He muttered. But there, he saw something quite peculiar. Some of the mashed potatoes landed near Ombra's cloak and it seemed to be ...floating? At least 3 inches above the floor, that is.

Hook reached for the floating food and ended up feeling something in the place of nothing. With his hand, he felt around and noticed his fingers had brushed upon a leathery texture. It was a shoe. Hook knew that Ombra was just some floating shadow spirit. He had no shoes, let alone any feet to wear them with. He scraped the potatoes off and a puff of smoke was set into the air, revealing sneakers with a big N on it.

"Nike," Quickly putting the pieces together, Hook stood up, grabbed Ombra by the cloak and slammed him against the table. The other villains craned their necks to see what the commotion was about.

"Who are you?" Artemis Fowl ran to Hook's side and ripped the hood off of the imposter, "Invisibility Powder," was his diagnosis, "Some water would be sure to shed it all off," Dousing the rest of the body with a pitcher of water came next, revealing a sports jacket and worn-out jeans hiding under the cloak. Ruffled blonde hair was exposed. The boy's eyes nearly matched Hook's intense blue as the two gazed each other with a cold salutation.

"Bill Tailingson," Brute gritted his teeth, "What's your purpose here?"

The ex-Shadow Soldier was the one of the spies sent by Naomi to record the meeting. He wore thick black eyeglasses with a microscoping camera and microphone embedded in.  
Billy, though under the stares of his enemies, smiled, To take you down, General," Brute responded with a blow to Billy's gut, "Not today, boy,"

Naomi gasped and was ready to pull out her wand to transport him out of there, but she knew deep down Billy could handle this.

"What is this?"

Brute turned around to see the Captain on his right. He was examining Billy, and by the look of things, it seemed as if they had met. He wouldn't want to get too close, otherwise the people in Circuitania would see who he is. Yes, he knew about the camera and the meeting and the spies.  
"Jareth!" **(4) **The Goblin King, a man in his late thirties wearing a furring coat and light green tights, was summoned, "Yes, Captain?"

"Take off his glasses and crush them," He did so and Billy, could still see clearly, saw Captain for the first time. Unfortunately, if he had the camera then Naomi and the others would have seen who it was.

"You!" Billy tried to rustle of out Hook's and Brute's grip to have at him, "Why? How?"

"Everything will be explained. You see-" The Captain's eyes frayed away to see Jareth holding one of the silver trays, "What do you plan to do with that?"

Jareth, an expert sorcerer, had placed a flying enchantment on the tray, "This," He bonked Hook and Brute on the head, rendering them unconscious thus freeing Billy. Jareth tossed the tray to him and Billy hopped on. Jareth revealed his true colors as the second spy. With the enchantment, the try acted like a hoverboard. Billy propelled himself towards the doors.

"Go, Billy! Go!" The Lost Kids yelled although their friend could not hear him.

"Get him!" The Captain yelled and the dinner guests rushed out of their seats and chased the boy riding on a silver tray.

*******************  
**A/N: I'm back! After receiving the most inspirational PM ever from DomesticHeart. I'm set to finish what I've started. **

**(1) A left handed flange turner was mentioned in the Phineas and Ferb episode "Phineas's Birthday Clip-O-Rama" It was what his sister, Candace, gave him as a present**  
**(2) In the previous story, John called conjuring up objects with imagination "Realm Wishing" But we'll call it Wishing now. **  
**(3) If you've watched Harry Potter then you would know that Voldemort has a nose that resembles a snake's nose. **  
**(4) Jareth is the Goblin King from the 1986 movie 'The Labyrinth'. Jareth is played by David Bowie in the movie and has a few songs in the movie. It's a great movie I suggest you watch it but it's not for the impatient. It's a long. **

**I've introduced so many new characters. I'm sorry if you're confused. I'll give you as much as background information as I can in the next chapter. **

**There's going to be a lot of action, drama, and humor. **

**See you next time! And thank you for your reviews. **  
**P.S Do you like my new screen name. I had actually thought of a better name right after I updated it. But it's too late and I wouldn't want to confuse anybody. **

***~Phoebee~***


	6. Power Outages, Prisons, and a Robot

Peter woke up from a terrible nightmare. He dreamt that he indirectly destroyed the most valuable book in all the land with a bomb. He rubbed the sands of sleep from his eyes (having no knowledge of how they got there). His back ached and was stiff as a board. _I must have slept on the floor_

For the first minutes of being awake, Peter thought he was still in Neverland, seizing the day as he would normally would do in the hideout. Upon being woken up by Slightly, he would rise from his bed of fluffed pillows and fur lined blankets at the first whiff of breakfast. After grabbing his dagger from his bedside table, away he went to the roof to join his fellow Losts in a buffet fit for a whole city.

But he was nowhere near home.

He woke from a wooden cot with a stone cushioning his head. And his bare feet tingled once touching the cold ground. He reached the right corner where his bedside table would have been but only an iron stool resided.

It was then he realized it was not a nightmare. Hook did betray them, Major was gone, and he was pretty sure he had been arrested not too long ago.

Then a xylophone tune echoed in his cell. It sounded as if it came from an old cartoon.

"All inmates report to the mess hall for dinner. Tonight's meal is meatball hoagies, just like the night before and the night before that. Thank you and have a wonderful day at Azkaban,"A perky female voice said over an intercom.

Dinner? _I am quite famished_

Peter's hands immediately felt up the cell walls for a door or a window. Nothing. He bang on the the wall, hoping any entryway would appear in front of him.

It sort of did.

On the other side of the room, Peter heard the crumble of rocks and turned to see a person, wearing a white protective plastic suit. A guard. The entrance couldn't have been picked or chiseled and the guard had no axe or tool. The guard raised a hand and motioned Peter to come and follow.

Peter wanted answers, so he followed. As he left his cell, he saw the guard press a red button in embedded deep into the wall that Peter almost missed it. The medieval dungeon like cell pixelated before dissolving into a regular white room with square tiles on the ceiling, walls, and floor like a grid. Peter kept this in mind as he was pushed out the door and into a gray hallway. The guard handcuffed him and took him to the mess hall.

Peter was uncuffed when he reached the mess hall. He ran to the opposite side of the room and took place in line to get food. The mess hall was a school cafeteria but cleaner. It was immaculate white, just like Peter's cell after the guard pressed the button. The only thing dirty and unkempt were the prisoners. He ignored the stares and glares he got as he walked. He received more glares than anything. Maybe it was because he was the one who put half of these prisoners in Azkaban.

He passed a table full of Vampirates, vampire pirates, that he had brought to the authorities when he hijacked their ship and brought it to port. They crunched on their food loudly and clenched their forks tightly.

"Hello, gents," Peter said, which intensify the glares and just aggravated them more. For waking up in Azkaban, Peter was in good spirits. Nothing really bothered him, accept for the fact he couldn't find Trixi. He searched tables (those who didn't have angry prisoners) and lines and corners for her.

He found Gem and Gemma though. They were sitting with the biggest troll Peter had ever seen. They were teaching the troll how to count to 30.

"23, 24, 2- Peter!" The twins enveloped him in a tight hug.

"We're not that close," he managed to gasp out. And they released him, "We'll be right back, Shrimpy," Gem bid farewell to the troll which grunted in reply before thundering off.

"Have any of you guys seen Trixi?"

Gem and Gemma wore grave expressions, "She was here earlier, but then she was summoned to Interrogation,"

"Interrogation?"

"It's a lot more serious than it sounds," A lanky man approached them. He wore glasses and a blue jumpsuit, different than the other inmates' jumpsuits which were the color black. Peter was glad he hadn't been given a jumpsuit yet. The man spoke with a goofy Italian accent which irked Peter just a bit.

"And you are?"

"My name is Pistachio Disguisey. Nice to meet you,"

"So what were you saying about the Interrogation?"

"Oh yes, how terrible the process is. Oh dear, it happens to the newest inmates. They would ask questions about the crime you committed. If they like what they hear then they let you go. But if you say something they don't like, they punish you,"

"Who's they?"

"The guards,"

"And they punish you, like no dessert for a week or something?"

"Ay, no. Much worse,"

Gemma spoke up, "This prison has been constructed to take criminals' fears and use it to get information out of them. It's terrible! The rooms are morphed into a way to get a rise out of the prisoner. To get them to feel and think things they don't want to feel or think,"

Peter tried to shush Gemma. The guards had looked up when she said 'terrible', "Where do they do these Interrogations?"

"Some say it is under the prison. And others say they teleport to nearby island and Interrogate there,"

Peter then went onto the subject of the jumpsuit, "So, what's with your jumpsuit? What are you in for?"

"Oh," Pistachio smiled but was flustered on being asked, "I was, well- how do you put this? I was accused, framed by an old adversary. And my jumpsuit was specially made for me for I'm a Master of Disguise. The guards would think I could escape if I use my powers," Pistachio examined Peter with great curiosity and wonder, "I recognize you somewhere. Ha! You must be one of the Six, the ones who will save us all!"

"Um, first of all it's the Seven and I'm not at the moment one of them," Peter admitted, "But, as soon as I'll get out of here I will be.

Pistachio then was ushered back to his cell by a guard. Dinner was over in a matter of minutes and Peter hardly got a bite. His guard grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and hauled him back to his cell.

The cell was different from when he left. The guard opened the door to a large ice box. Frost lined the walls and snow fell out of nowhere. Peter shivered and crossed his arms. Having never love snow as much as Is or Jive do, Peter detested the cold and wished to be in better circumstances. Though before he could make a suggestion, the guard passively exited the cell and slammed the door behind him.

"At least give me a scarf or something,"

* * *

Billy zoomed out of the meeting without a second thought. This hadn't been part of the plan. Jareth was not supposed to have given his cover away that easily. And he wasn't supposed to be exposed at all. Now, he was flying away from a mob of the most callus, despicable, malicious beings alive.

_Great how things turned out, huh? _

Although he was riding on a floating dinner tray, Billy knew it wasn't enchanted. Magic was growing scarce in the Realm and only the most powerful sorcerers could have it now. Jareth wasn't one of them. He wasn't able to hold onto his powers. Instead, what was keeping the tray afloat was magnetic energy.

Magnets were glued to the bottom of the tray which were being repelled by magnets below the surface. Billy had studied on the Forgotten Castle and read that the magnets were built by the Ancients to latch onto the Metas' weapons during a siege.

Billy shifted his body to view his pursuers properly, a couple of Gru's minions, flying monkeys, and...an R2D2 robot look-a-like? No, it was something worse. A Dalek, ruthless robots with genetically mutated beings inside to control it. It was in the shape like a cone with a rounded top and a telescope for an eye and what seemed to be a plunger-looking device as well as a part of an electro mixer sticking out like arms. Billy almost underestimated it. The machine started shooting lasers out of its electro mixer device.

"Why only one?" he wondered. Billy nearly flew into a wall while paying too much attention to what was behind him than what was in front. The hallways were in ruins though the iron doors stayed in tact for the last century. Sirens flashed in all corridors and rooms with a mega voice shouting through an intercom, "Lockdown! Code 84. Get the intruder!"

"I have a name, you know!" Billy turned the tray around, realizing there was a better way out. Through the skylight in the ballroom. But he had to hurry. The iron doors were to be closing soon and he could be trapped if he doesn't fly fast.

He paddled the air to propel himself forwards but thought he had drooped down a few feet since escaping the ballroom. Billy used his fingers to feel for the magnets. They were secured. Though the tray was indeed sinking. Spears and lasers made contact which nearly toppled Billy over.

_They must have figured out about the magnets! They're deactivating them._

Billy was four feet off the ground now. The thrill of flight was receding and the wind stopped howling in his ears. Fortunately, he reached the corridor where the doors to freedom were. He needed to ditch the tray and run for the door, eventually getting captured or wait for the tray to fall and be captured immediately.

_The first option shows determination and character, Naomi would have wanted me to choose this. _

So for the sake of his girlfriend, Billy hopped off the tray, but not without kicking it into the Dalek first. He sprinted towards the doors. The difference between these doors and regular front doors, is that these doors close downwards like a car garage door would. And there must have been some accident involving an axe because it gave Avidma this great idea to sharpen the  
doors' bottom rails to a cutting edge.

The sirens and alarms blinded him at first, but Billy had to return to Naomi. He imagined Naomi sitting in her room, waiting for him to return. Her hair slowly losing its lovely shade of brown, graying and withering. Face slowly aging until she was on the peak of death, yet she still watied. This image in his mind was what had him sprint even faster than ever.

Sadly to say, Billy would have made it if the Dalek projected a laser beam at his lower back, paralyzing him. His legs gave way only a foot away from the doors. Losing all feeling in his limbs, Billy made efforts to move. His vision blurred until the blackness was all he could see.

* * *

Back at Circuitania, the day after the meeting, the whole city was abuzz. Naomi had been desperately trying to get the cameras back online. She was deeply upset with Jareth but then understood the pressure he must have been under and for him to be watched by the Captain with such scrutiny. She was forced to give up when she came to the conclusion that the fate of both Jareth and Billy was unknown.

The Lost Kids rose earlier than the sun. The news of what down in the Forgotten Castle had them on the edge. Now they were more set on freeing Peter and Trixi. Peter was the official chief commander of the Molendinum troops and they needed him to round up all their allies for the Big Battle soon. Morgan, Kavika, Jason, and John already decided to venture with Scott and the city troops for the advanced attack so they bid their friends a farewell before they were picked up by Apollo.

Then the group packed their Hideout's Standardized Emergency Backpacks and joined the troop at the portal docks. It was 5 minutes until the portals open and the shields would be deactivated permanently.

Morgan could feel anxiety standing among the troops and volunteers. Once shields were down, the city would be left unprotected and civilians would be left for the dead as it seemed. Most soldiers were assigned dig burrows, strengthen foundations, and arm most citizens with various types of military weapons.

"Who wants to bet there's about a thousand cyborgs, trolls, and vikings out there," Jason asked his friends. Many creatures joined Avidma to be spared from annihilation. No doubt they were waiting to attack.

"I bet they have nuclear rockets and maybe a couple of mutated professors," Kavika inputted.

Morgan shook her head, "I think it's all of the above,"  
Then Scott stalked to the front of the troops. On a very serious note that day, he wore a moss green pilot jumpsuit and tied his curly hair. He was determined to make this mission a success.

_I wonder where his dad is_

"Alright, you lot!," Scott gathered everybody's attention. This is going to be a dangerous journey. You all know the risks of storming into Unessa Vilan, you know what could happen there, and you definitely know there's a chance you might not come back at all, " Scott grimaced, "So I suggest you all make sure you're prepared and have said your farewells. We'll be ready in 5,"

Scott walked off and talked to Xandra, who was making final preparations on the portal, "How's it coming along?"

"Just finished, boss," she smiled and slammed the control hatch closed. She put the excess wires  
and her tools into a suitcase. Then Xandra picked up a backpack and marched to the direction of the portals.

"Where are you going?" Scott asked.

"I'm coming with you," Xandra stated, "If you're going to be jumping from Haven to Haven, someone needs to check the portal system each time before transport. And if I recall, this is the biggest transport in portal history and I'm the best manager in all the Havens, so therefore, I'll make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Alright, you can come. But I expect perfection in the portals," Xandra saluted her boss before double checking the systems.

Just a few feet away while this was happening, John felt someone slap him upside the head. He rotated to see Taylor sporting a giant bazooka on her shoulder and Kyle carrying his titanium battle axe.

"Let the good times roll!" Kyle whooped.

Morgan heard the outburst and saw the Lost Kids. She did a double take, "What are you doing here? I thought you're guys were supposed to be at Azkaban to spring Peter and Trixi."

"Lawyering isn't mine thing," Taylor admitted, "And besides _this_," she referred to the mission, "It's a B.O.B event, bring your own bazooka,"

Morgan only nodded and walked off. With Taylor and Kyle around, fighting Avidma would be a game of pretend. To them, battling is what they live for. Instead of a toy car or Barbie, they would ask for a dagger or a shield. They even had a nickname: The Senseless Siblings.

"It's because if you question it, they would beat you senseless," Their barbarian warfare and attitude disgusts Morgan at times, but she learned to tolerate it for she had to live with them.  
The three remaining Losts went to the troops and stood with them in a single file line, while so, Kavika, Jason, and John had already lined up with the soldiers. Kavika and Jason were both staring at Xandra, who was at the portal's control panel.

Xandra lifted open the control panel and did was trained to do despite the tragic events that would occur when finished, "Green lever," she pulled said lever, "Coordinates locked?" The location blinked in bright green text on the screen, "Yes they are. Now to increase safety," This part was the most essential. The portals are nuclear and when it comes to strong chemicals, the body may experience some temporary or even permanent alterations and disfigurations to the body and mind. In the first field test, the tester had returned with a set of new elephant ears and a matching tail.

She turned a knob or two and two positive beeps came from the machine, "And for…the main event," Guilt-ridden and unsure, Xandra inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. This would be the hardest thing she may ever have to do: powering up the portal.

She typed up a storm on the keypad and punched buttons as fast as she can, "For my next trick," she said to herself, "I'll shall make the shields disappear," The push of a button was all the system needed and with one brave move of her finger, Xandra turned the portal on.

The metallic archway in front of them glowed in a spectrum static before turning emerald. It expanded, making room to transport the troops. And then the foreseeable disaster happened. The lights of Circuitania, the virtual sky, and even the other portals in the docks loss all power. All was quiet and dark, only the light of the portal lit the area.

For a while, nothing else happened. Some had described the moment as the calm before the storm or the time of doubt. Maybe Xandra had miscalculated? Maybe, just a small chance, there was enough power to operate the shields. The time of doubt ended when John heard a noise that sent gave him goosebumps, a deep zum. It was the same noise a spacecraft would make when zooming through the skies.

Scott knew what it really was though, the shields shutting off. Whoever's outside the city could come inside now, "Xandra, we need to go,"

"Shh," she shushed and listened for the initial attack. Like the other soldiers, she was curious. It was plain to the enemy the shields were gone.

"Are they there?" Jason whispered to Morgan who rummaged through her backpack, "I think they're playing with us,"

"No, they're already here," Scott interposed on the conversation. He must have been behind the portal because Jason could not see him in under the portal light.

"How do you know?"

Morgan found the flashlight by this time. She shone it around and was stunned on what she saw. An army of Avidma soldiers surrounded the Circuitania troops, especially Terracotta warriors, Chinese foot soldiers made of clay. One had his sword below a trapped Scott's chin, " I just figured."

**A/N: In the next chapter, they're heading to Oz where I introduce one last new character. So far I introduced Pistachio, the Rangers of Circuitania, and Xandra. I know there were other characters but they won't have much of an impact to the storyline. **

**Sorry for the long wait. I just needed to find the right events to put in the story. I promise I won't let you guy down. Thanks for the reviews and support. See you soon!  
**

***~Phoebee~***


	7. Of Oz and Interrogations

Chapter 7 "Of Oz and Interrogations"

Shocked by the sudden entrance, Morgan almost dropped her flashlight. The Terracotta warriors weren't the only ones who had already infiltrated the city. To Kavika's and Jason's implausible guesses, there were in fact Vikings, Cyborgs, and all kinds of genetically altered monsters.

They encircled the troops and blocked their path to the portal. Screams resonated into the night like a haunting song. There were going for the civilians. Morgan heard the sound of an engine and looked off to the distance to see a power drill being navigated throughout the city by a Cyclopes. They were going to dig them out of the burrows.

John, never being the one to act in a brash manner, was forced to take out a blaster from his backpack and recklessly shot at the Terracotta. Taylor followed in suit and fired her bazooka at any Avidma trying to enter to the docks. John's blasts, however far off they were, gave a blow to the center of one warrior's breastplates, crumbling the forefront of their clay bodies. He, Taylor, and a few other soldiers managed to shoot their way through the portal.

Once John stepped through the portal, he felt he was going down the hideout slide again. The transport was a cyclone of shimmering green dust, churning to bring travelers to the center which is a radiant bead of light. The only problem was that you would get dragged under. John thrashed his arms to stay afloat and caught sight of soldiers' faces as they tussled to get to the light.

John figured that was the only way out, so he swam towards the light. After paddling endlessly, the light was only a few feet away from him. He stretched his arm out, his fingertips feeling the intensity of the light.

Come on. A few more inches to go

He must have reached it because in a split second after, his back made an unflattering met the yellow brick road. Kyle, as well as some soldiers, soon toppled out of the whirlwind and landed beside John.

"Ugh," grunted John, "I don't remember that happening the last time."

Kyle rolled over to face him and nodded, "If we're going to do this a few more times, we might as well get used to it." He reached for his axe but then felt a pain in his chest.

"Are you okay?" John asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," Kyle looked around. They landed on a hill where a dark forest ends. The colossal Emerald City could be seen from the hilltop. They were close.

John brushed himself off then he and Taylor searched for anybody they knew. They found Scott after briefly searching the yellow brick road. He was among a heap of soldiers a few steps away from where they landed. After helping them back on their feet, the group staggered onwards to Emerald City.

"What about the others? Aren't we going to wait for them?" John asked Scott.

"No, they're probably in the city. That's the meeting place. How long did you think we were in the portal?"

"A minute or two,"

"Wrong. We were in there for hours. Time is different for any traveler. It really depends on the who's the strongest swimmer,"

"So, the others are in the city, waiting for us,"

"Exactly,"

"And we're going to wait for more if we have to,"

"Yep,"

"And if the others didn't make it?"

"Let's just hope they did," They stopped outside the city and after receiving clearance to enter, the gates opened to them. Majestic and modern clashed in the most beautiful and whimsical way when the city's full wonders revealed to the traveling soldiers. Buildings and structures were carved and incorporated from the mammoth emerald mountain that had been there before. Carriages, soaring into the sky or grounded, were being pulled by horses that changed colors like a chameleon.

But Emerald City's best quality was the civilians. They welcomed the troops with open arms, tossing gifts and placing scrumptious treats into the palm of their hands. John enjoyed this sincere welcome but from glancing at Scott, he wasn't enjoying it much. He had a task at hand and it was to find the rest of his men.

A tall man in a green robe and the curliest beard John had ever seen on any man's face approached Scott, "Welcome to Emerald City. You must be the young Truman," he said, "Follow me. Your comrades are waiting at the Mantis Lounge,"

* * *

Kavika sat with Morgan in the however so exclusive, Mantis Lounge. Only the Wizard's special guests are allowed in the Lounge, but the fame and the moist towelettes offered by the servants in green didn't help their crestfallen moods. Kavika was one of the last ones to exit through the portal. He stayed to watch every single horrifying event that came once the power drill went into the picture.

He saw Scott blast the Terracotta warriors to safety, as well as the thousands of vicious creatures crawling their way into the city: Minotaurs, Trashies, the Rag Dolls of Redmill, Cyborgs. Taylor, having been out of Circuitania before Kavika, had asked about what happened.

"Who was there?"

Kavika slung his backpack over to dig around, finding something. Apparently it was a standard to keep 'Children's Cherished Stories" inside the backpack because that was what Kavika brought out.

"A storybook?"

"It's the Realm's storybook. I was reading it last night," He flipped the pages to show Morgan the story of 'Manny the Minotaur'. A half man/ half bull held up an ice cream cone and was holding hands with a little boy, "A minotaur is one of the model citizens in Realm society. In stories, they are usually depicted as the underdog or shy character. But I saw them, terrorizing the city with the rest of them,"

He flipped through more pages, "Rag Dolls, the messengers for little girls. The Ogre,a family man" Shutting the book, Kavika sunk low in his plush seat, "Avidma is turning them evil,"

Morgan just slumped onto her chair and resting her head on her arm, "This war...sucks. With all this violence, it's hard to think the Realm as a land of fairytales and dreams. Avidma is probably threatening them. There are all of these rumors, saying that the Captain might have been born of a demon. But after seeing what he could do, I'll clear those rumors up for everybody,"

"And say what?"

Morgan stared at the floor, "He is so much worse."

Then the doors slide open, it was the tall bearded man towing along the rest of the troops, Scott, John, and and Kavika perked up and ran to meet their friends. But John stopped midway on joining the others, "Wait, what about Jason, Xandra, and Taylor?"

"Xandra is with Oz's portal manager, consulting about whether or not to do something with a portal thingy...and yeah," Kavika summed up.

"Taylor and Jason?"

"They're training in the back with the others. There's going to be a festival in a few hours, in our honor. I suggest we should get ready for it."

"Really? Why throw a party for us?"

"Anyone would throw a party nowadays," 'Curly Beard', as John called him, entered the room. He walked up to Scott, "The Wizard would like to have a word with you."

"Tell him I'll be there. I just have to get some of my soldiers to the training field," Scott shooed Curly Beard off and guided Kyle, Kavika, Morgan, and John through the back door.

* * *

Peter was curled up in a catlike position inside his cell, still awake. There were no windows in the cell so he couldn't tell whether if it was night or day. His toes and fingers were numb from the cold and took a minute of wiggling to get them to move again. He wondered if the guard knew about his hatred towards the cold. Trixi must have said something at the interrogation.

And at the thought of her, Peter suddenly heard her screaming. _I must be going mad in here. _

But the screams were persistent on getting Peter's attention. He slowly unwound himself and crept to the wall where the door was and pressed his ear against it. The walls were surprisingly thin, so he heard Trixi's words clearly.

"No! Please! Don't put me back there!" Trixi begged. Then she let out a cry for help. Peter was surprised to hear his own name being called. He only stood there, with his ear on the door in anxiousness. He heard a cell door next door clang open and a thud. She must have been thrown inside

Once he heard the guard walk away. He started shouting at the cell next to his. No reply came, "Come on, Trix! Talk!"

He paced around the icebox cell, bagging on himself for talking to thin air. Then, he heard a whir coming from the door. A guard opened it and marched inside and grabbing Peter roughly by the arm. Peter put up a good fight. He flew out of the guard's reach, but with the height of the room, the guard made no struggle into locking shackles onto Peter's feet.

It was embarrassing. Peter had to be dragged out of the room while hovering in the air. Prisoners on their way back from the Character Development center must have had their spirits lifted once seeing that sight. It was funny.

But Peter wasn't in a good humor. There was only one reason why he would be released. It was time for Interrogation.

Taylor and Jason were practicing basic combat attacks in the plaza. Taylor snapped her arm back in time to deflect Jason's spear attack. She then spun, twirling her spear and eventually driving it in the direction of Jason's upper shoulder. He ducked and pole vaulted over Taylor's head. Taylor responded by using her weapon as a projectile, throwing it at Jason. It missed, only to hit the glass door in which Scott, Morgan, Kavika, John, and Kyle appeared out of.

Scott flashed Taylor the evil eye before handing off Kyle. She smiled and ran up to hug her 'sibling', "You scared me, you freak of nature!"

"Well, there's a Teracotta Warrior in Circuitania right now, with a hole in its head for trying to separate the 'Senseless Siblings'," Kyle replied with half of the energy Taylor had in her sentence.

"C'mon, we're just about to start learning more combat moves!" Taylor tugged on Kyle's hand but he pulled away gently, "Um...if you don't mind Tay, but I still feel a bit woozy from getting here. I need to rest."

"Ok, sure. But be back in time for the festival."

"I will, see ya," Once Kyle retreated back inside, Taylor proceeded into brutally beating Jason the practice battle, though having worried thoughts concerning Kyle. She knew when somebody was hiding something.

* * *

Peter and the guards approached a steel elevator at the end of the hallway. One had to blindfold Peter for the secret of how to go to the Interrogation room to remain between the guards and the higher authorities who run Azkaban. They nudged him inside the elevator, pressed a button, then proceeded down below. Without the sense of sight on his side, Peter only had to rely on his other senses. He took in what he heard, touched, and smelt.

It took about 10 minutes to reach the destined floor. Even as they exited the elevator and into the hallway, Peter was still required to have the blindfold on. He hated not being informed and being considered the leader of Moledinum, he needed to know his army's activity in the Realm.

Another tense walk down somewhere later, Peter heard a door swoosh open. This time, he walked in voluntarily so the guards wouldn't have to shove him. He felt the blindfold being lifted from his eyes and saw a man in a pinstriped suit sitting on an elegantly arranged, wooden table. Candles were lit and many gourmet foods were placed on porcelain plates and trays. It was as if Peter was transported onto a cruise liner buffet. The room was only windows, looking out into the ocean. Yup, it seemed like a cruise.

_This must be a trick or something. If he offers anything, resist. _Peter glanced at a roasted turkey stationed at the center of the table. It looked delicious. This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Peter Pan," The man at the table read off of a clipboard, "Come and sit. This won't take but a moment."

Peter cautiously inched towards the seat on the opposite side of the table. The guards stood erect on the wall. No chance of escape for Peter. Plus, he couldn't leave without Trixi. Lex would kill him.

"You have me at a disadvantage, sir," Peter stated bluntly.

"And why is that? Is it because you're prisoner?"

"No. You know my name and I don't know yours,"

The man just laughed, "A charmer you must have been back in...?"

"Neverland,"

"Oh right yes. The Lost Boy. Now I remember, your girlfriend was in here not too long ago,"

"She's not my girlfriend and I know she's been Interrogated. What did you ask her?"

"Nothing so bothersome. I heard all the rumors about this being a terrible process, but Peter I am on your side," The man had a genuine expression on his face, but as genuine as a man could get.

"Uh-huh," Then Peter eyed the turkey again. He didn't really eat anything at dinner, "So, could you tell me where I am," He pointed to the windows. The man turned around to gaze at the view himself, "Isn't it grand?"

"Yeah," Peter swiped some fries and stuffed it down his empty sword sheath. Then he took a couple of chicken wings and put in his empty pack that was snapped around his waist. The guards did nothing surprisingly. By the time the man turned around, Peter had stolen a fourth of the food.

"Its the Dark Sea. Never mind about that though. I hear that you destroyed the Book of Old. Accident it must have been, I can tell. But what I can't tell you is a reassuring release. I mean, manslaughter is an accident but people still have to pay time,"

"All I did was ruin the chances of finding out the Seven identities. It's no...big deal, right?" But the serious demeanor on the man's face proved otherwise.

"It's a felony. But don't worry, you will settle this in court, tomorrow"

"Alright,"

"I can tell you don't like me,"

"I hate all adults. It's nothing personal,"

"Oh come on. I'm only here to help you," The man turned back to face the windows, "I'm sorry. I just can't help but look at this amazing view every once in awhile. "

Peter didn't see what the big deal was about a view, "It's just a window."

"Do you have something against windows, young man?"

"No," Peter crossed his arms, "And don't call me young man."

"I know. I hate it when my mother says that to me. I guess I picked this habit up from her. Mothers, they always want the important ideas to stay in our minds, am I right?"

"I wouldn't know. Can I go back to my cell now?"

"An orphan?"

"It doesn't matter. I want to leave!" Peter abruptly stood up and headed for the door. The guards immediately blocked his path.

"Guards! Don't be the bad guys," The man entreated, "If he wants to leave, then let him leave. Peter, we'll continue this some other time. Nice meeting you!"

The guards brought out the blindfold and tied it around Peter's head. They ushered him out the door but Peter still had one thing to say.

"You didn't tell me who you are,"

A chair screeched and Peter felt someone behind him. Then the man whispered into his ear, "You can call me the Warden."

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. Sorry for the wait. But I promise that I will finish this story. **

***~Phoebee~***


	8. Cyborg Party Crashers

Chapter 8 "Cyborg Party Crashers"

Kyle noticed how silent Scott was once he returned from consulting with the Wizard. He opened the doors to the Mantis Lounge and called for every soldier to gather inside. Kyle went outside to the training area and rounded up the troops.

Soon, forty people sat before Scott, awaiting the announcement.

"Since everybody is here, I have terrible news. While we were gone, Avidma was able to seize the city."

The room had burst into chatter. For most of the troops, they had family living in Circuitana and yearned to know if their love ones hadn't been harmed yet.

"But they decided not to destroy the city though the citizens are now under Avidma control, they are now prisoners. I'm sorry," Scott exited the lounge, but not without slamming the doors closed behind him.

Curly Beard decided to make his entrance and hopefully bring around a change in the broken hearts of the troops, "Well, everybody. Let's not dilly dally. The festival will start in a few hours. You must get ready! The stylists are in the back taking measurements. Now off you go!" He first ushered Morgan and Jason to the back rooms

"I'm lucky I didn't go first," John muttered over to one soldier who nodded. He had seen what the Ozians wear. Ozians could be quite extravagant and very superfluous in their attire and presentation. John had seen people with hats taller than him and coats made of entirely of feathers. The pompous style was close to that of the Capitol where the Hunger Games took place. Curly Beard then emerged from the back, carrying a basket. He handed each trooper a shield shaped pin from the basket, "This is for VIP, once a Green Hat sees that, they'll know exactly who you are."

John took the badge in his hands. Though, he couldn't help but have this strange feeling. He read that Samurai of Feudal Japan could sense danger within an area, an ability called _zanshin_. He felt the badge and _zanshin _was flaring all of these warning signs. He focused his attention back to Curly Beard, who smiled a buck-toothed grin, "Go on, put it on. Be proud that you're in Oz's hands now!" he prodded.

Knowing that Curly Beard wouldn't stop his creepy smile until he did what was asked, John pinned the badge to his shirt.

Curly Beard, satisfied, patted John hard on the back, "Good boy,"

Kavika and Jason, fully decked out in their green ensemble for the festival, made an "impromptu" visit to Emerald City's Portal Docks, or Chambers as the Ozians call it. With the guidance of the gleaming chandeliers that loomed over their heads, the two boys entered through a hall bordered with decommissioned portals. Curly Beard had drone on about Emerald City's history and interesting facts that honestly nobody knew or cared about. But there was one tidbit that stuck to the boys' minds. There used to be many portals, but a freak thunderstorm hit and fried the system. Only one portal was still in commission for mysterious reasons.

That one portal was at the end of the hall. A group of engineers were hunched over the control system and in the midst of the protocol inspection, Jason could spot Xandra in the center of the activity. She spoke to the engineers, emphasizing her words with hand motions. They listened intently, as if she was their boss; she probably was. During her lecture, Xandra caught sight of Kavika and Jason.

_ Those two again?_ she thought in her head. She lost her place while giving out instructions and simply had to skip to the end. Her colleagues scattered off once she concluded, which gave Kavika and Jason an opening.

Xandra knew the two boys have some sort of infatuation for her and she clearly did not want that. Perhaps it wasn't that clear when she sent them off on a wild goose chase. She fetched her toolbox and was in mid running stance when Jason tapped her shoulder. Inwardly sighing, she turned and greeted them with a forced smile.

"Hey guys,"

"Hi Xandra," said Jason and Kavika simultaneously. Jason elbowed Kavika for that and, in return, received an unforgiving shove towards the side.

"I was on my way to the control center to test the portal...it's going to take forever if I don't go soon. Well, I guess I'll see you two tomorrow then," she tried to veer away from them but they were persistent.

"Wait, you're not going to the festival?"

"Nope, sorry. I never stop working," Then she scampered off into a door on the righthand wall of the corridor. Once she was out of hearing range, Kavika and Jason began to talk.

"It's too bad. She's not coming," Kavika said.

"Yeah," Jason agreed, "We could have had a great time,"

"Wait. Pause and rewind. _We?_ Are you guys some sort of unit or what?"

"Oh no, I meant like all of us together, with _you..._" Jason's voice reached a high and soft at the end. It was clear to Kavika that Jason was lying. He seemed a bit of a jerk to him ever since they met Xandra.

"Dude, what's going on? I thought I called dibs," Kavika made it very clear that he wanted to pursue Xandra. But to his astonishment, Jason acted as if he wasn't aware of that.

"Dibs? We never agreed to that," Jason kept score. Kavika had an advantage. He has powers. His friend could summon lightning like Thor and will have Xandra falling for him in seconds, "You can't call dibs because you could tell she likes me," _A bit of an exaggeration, but it was somewhat true_, Jason thought.

"Are you serious? Look at you!"

"We're both wearing the same stupid outfit!"

"I wasn't talking about the outfit!" Jason gasped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His own friend was insulting him, "You dare dishonor me?"

Kavika got near Jason's face, "Xandra is mine!"

"No, she's mine!" The two friends glared at each other with hatred that could have come from opposing armies on the battlefield, "Then let's settle this as men,"

"Yu-Gi-Oh cards, courtyard at noon?"

"No, the old fashion way. Whoever wins her over first, gets to be with her,"

"May the best man win,"

* * *

John stood in front of the mirror, checking his ensemble. A forest green suit with a solid gold tie which coiled around his neck, suffocating him. It had some weight on it. He peeked out of the red velvet curtain of the balcony where he and the other soldiers were to make their entrance. It was nighttime in Emerald City and the streets were speckled with floating candles and lanterns. The band was set up in the center of the plaza, warming up the crowd with a rendition of 'The Lollipop Guild'. John wondered if there was a way out of this. Not being much of a party kind of guy in the past, he would always make some sort of excuse not to hang out with the Pranksters during their Academy days. It would be studying for a test or even play a mean game of Tetris. Though he was not so sure he could gain some Wi-Fi in the palace.

He found Scott and told him he was going to the bathroom. After gaining approval, John wandered out of the main hallway and decided to explore. He made a few trips up and down the stairs and eventually came across the Portal Chambers. He decided to check it out.

Walking down the hall, he observed each portal with curiosity. He heard the story of the storm and was plunged into deep thought of all the possibilities of how anything like this could have happened.

"Some mystery, right?" John turned around and saw Xandra. He never really spoken to her, but was aware of her key role in the transportation. She pointed to the one closest to the entryway, "At first is was that portal starting to malfunction. Then the rest of them started frazzling out and the next thing the managers knew, they were decommissioned."

"But the strange part is how no lightning ever occurred during the incident,"

"I know right. I'm Xandra,"

"I'm John,"

"Telling by your getup, you're supposed to parading down the balcony right about now,"

"Yeah, I just decided not to go. I'm not a great party-er," Xandra laughed and nodded, "Yeah, me neither. But the real reason why I'm not going is because of these two bozos I want to avoid,"

"Do they go by 'Desperate' and 'Annoying'?"

"Jason and Kavika,"

"Knew it," John breathed as he crept closer to one of the portal displays, "Listen, all you have to do is find a deep ditch, toss a TV turned to ESPN down there, and watch them fall. For guys who hate jocks, they seem to fall under the same blockhead category."

Xandra let another giggle escape through her mouth. She never thought anybody could make her laugh, especially someone she had just met,"I'll remember that the next time they talk to me,"

"But seriously, they're not so bad. They'll leave if you tell them too,"

"Thanks," Then the two stood adjacent from each other, silently admiring the workmanship when suddenly they heard a loud crack in the sky and the lights went out.

Slightly panicked, John inched backwards only to bump into Xandra. He could tell that, despite the absence of light, she was searching for a sign, for anything that could give her an idea to what was going on. Then the skylight displayed a flash of light following a boom of thunder. Xandra began seeing static spreading along the walls, surging towards the broken portals. John had thought that Kavika might have been working his demigod powers on them, but the static was glowing orange and not the regular blue.

Ticks and whirs reached John's ears and the hum of an engine- no, multiple engines, "It can't be."

"It's happening," Xandra flung herself onto the control panel, checking if it was true. The systems for all of the decommissioned portals were fully functioning, "They're activating," At those words, one by one, starting from the portal closest to the door opened up an arc of energy within the circular entrance. Referring back to the controls, Xandra read that there was an arrival in all of the portals, "People are coming!" she warned John.

John nodded. He ran to the first portal and waited for the arrival. Who would it be? Someone friendly? Evil? '_The lightning was orange. It just screams evil!' _A tiny silhouette was starting to come through, a bit hazy. Not close enough to tell whether it was a male or a female yet. But he heard a clanking of metal with each step the figure took.

"Do you see anybody?"

"Yeah,"

"Who is it?" Once the figure stepped out, John backed up against the wall. It was not one, but ten who emerged from the portals. The dark blue light radiated behind the mob's silhouette, creating a creepy shadow on John. In a moment's notice, he was armed with his wits. Though what he was up against was beyond what he had faced in the past, which in actuality wasn't much. The lights flickered back on and John could clearly see the steel armor shrouding their blackened limbs, the array of wires sprouting from the torso, and the laser red cyclops eye in the center of the headpiece.

"Cyborgs,"

* * *

Trixi could not believe what she had told the Warden. He just had the way of smuggling information from people. And now she was faced with the most horrible punishment any Lost could endure.

"_You seem like a sweet young girl," Trixi scoffed, 'did he think that complimenting me would get me to tell him anything, "How would you ever end up here?" _

"_I don't know. Your definition of illegal, is my definition of fun..." She picked a french fry from the batch on the table and put it in her mouth. _

"_It must have been an accident then," The Warden continued, "Who's to know more about accidents than yourself. I've heard some very interesting...stories about you." _

"_Like what?" _

"_Too many to count. It is amazing how much you have to deal with. Strong girl. So tell me, what's it like on Neverland?" _

"_Alright, I guess," _

"_Seems like a very private island. Not many visitors?" The Warden prompted and folded his arms in such a way that Trixi could almost recognize. When she couldn't put a finger on it, she vigilantly replied. _

"_Certain people could find Neverland. Kids who need a place. There hasn't been many visitors lately to be honest," Her eyes widened. Her responses had grown longer and more detailed. It seemed as if he collects secrets is through the civilized conversation. Playing as a regular person trying to have a chat. _

"_They wanted to return home, right? Leave and grow up," _

"_There used to be many of us," _

"_And then the Darlings came," That got a reaction out of Trixi, maybe not so obvious to the regular person. But the Warden saw her eyes were flickering from the food to the door. He could tell she didn't want to stay on the subject, "They seemed to appeal to their senses and convinced them to come with them. Right?" _

"_Not exactly," _

Trixi regretted ever saying that. The conversation went downhill from there and she revealed too much. She was now leaning against her cell wall, waiting for her punishment. Little did she know that behind that cell wall stood Peter, trying to get her attention.

"Trixi! What did you tell them?" But to no avail, he gave up. And propped himself up against the wall. He wondered if Trixi had received her punishment yet. His was going to come, but it would probably be something he could handle. He is Peter Pan after all.

He heard a siren and the walls of his cell crumble and shift. The bricks on the wall began to redden, becoming more like the kinds that are used to build a house. Strangely enough, the cell morphed into a new setting and Peter found himself hovering before a house. A house that was all too familiar to him.

Peter looked around and saw that the back wall had disappeared and was replaced by a string of houses. Shivering from a sudden winter wind, Peter held his hand out and caught a snowflake. It melted at his touch. It felt like real snow. Then Peter heard a sweet sound, a woman's laugh. Curious, he circled the house, searching for the source of the laugh. But when he found it, Peter was not pleased that he had.

* * *

Morgan couldn't help it, she was an athlete and she just needed to get a few laps around the park before the festival started. She left the Wizard's palace and set out into the downtown area. She took the long route for some well needed exercise. The festival seemed fun, the band playing beautiful and fun arrangements while the civilians danced and sang. And that was the pre-show! Quite enjoyable for those who have enough energy to partake in. She swept past the string of markets leading to the Plaza in a steady jog. The Emerald city designer who picked out her outfit for the festival would not be happy while wringing out the sweat from her flowing green blouse.

It was quite refreshing, but she eventually found herself near a flea market stand that sold wood art and whittled sculptures. Morgan leaned against the unoccupied stand, taking a breather and at the same time admiring the commodities, when she heard children shouting. She located the source of the shouts. It came from an alley just a few feet away from the wood art stand. She crept to the alley, and peered around the corner to find a group of Ozian children roughhousing a smaller child wearing a baseball cap.

The children taunting the puny kid, who Morgan recognized as a young boy, were dressed in formal attire and the boy was not.

"I just need to go home!" the boy said as he tried pushing through his bullies, but the biggest kid of the bunch blocked his path, "What's the hurry? Let's play the dumpster game. Just crawl in that dumpster over there and count to 300."

The boy displayed an expression of fear. The children held his wrists, locking him against the wall. He squirmed but wasn't as strong as his captors.

"No," a girl with features similar to that of a smirking rat, "Let's do that for him. Boys, bring over the dumpster."

The boy was soon pinned against the wall while two other kids wheeled around a dumpster from the far side of the alley. Morgan couldn't stand around and do nothing about this. She was a standby, a witness. In school, she was taught not to be the one to see another kid being bullied and remain idle. Fiddling inside her handbag, Morgan found Taylor's weapon catalog, _Maiming Monthly_, she confiscated earlier in the night.

She flipped to a page depicting the latest series in sonic blasters. Morgan knew that her power had something to do with words. She hoped this could work,

"_Lethal Canon of Obliteration is the newest series of zeon powered sonic blaster," _Morgan read the description aloud, "_With it's sleek surface and silicon trigger, you would want this weapon in your holster for the upcoming war..."_

She quickly read a few bits and pieces of the next part. The kids couldn't push a heavy dumpster that fast. Then, gold smoke emitted from her body and swirled in front of her, forming a gigantic, solid black blaster. She took it in her hands before it could fall onto the ground. And emerging from her hiding spot, facing the children with blaster in hand, "Hey! This is a Code 3 area. There's a small breach in the city's security. Kids, you must evacuate immediately!" At first the kids were a bit skeptical, Morgan could feel them eyeing her blouse, sandals, and then eventually her badge.

"Sorry mam" The rat faced girl said before rounding up her gang and running out of the alley. The boy in the baseball cap nearly took off after them but Morgan grabbed him by the shoulder, "Oh no you don't," She could tell that the poor boy must be terrified by her, "Don't worry. I'm not a cop or anything. Although I saw you were in trouble and I came to help. I'm Morgan."

"I'm Silco Pine," The boy introduced. Morgan gazed at his face, although she couldn't put her finger on it, he reminded her of somebody. She checked the time on her Realm watch, it automatically adjusts to the time zone. It was quite late for a young boy to be out roaming the streets.

"C'mon, let me take you home. I don't think you want any more trouble tonight. Hopefully a criminal would just be scared off by this," Morgan lifted up the Lethal Canon of Obliteration, "because frankly, I do not know how to use it." That made Silco laugh and together they walked out of the alley.

"Thank you. But my house is right there," He pointed to the stand Morgan was looking at before. There was a door behind the stand leading to the building it was set up in front of the wooden art strolled towards "I saw you coming. You didn't have that weapon. Where did you get it?"

"It's just some strange power I seem to have. Everything I say turns out to be true. I read this thing out of a magazine,"

"What is it? Your power? Does it have a name?"

_Geez, this kid is curious_, Morgan thought in her head, "If there is, I surely wouldn't know about it. Now, let me ask you a question if you don't mind. Why were those kids bothering you?"

"Oh," Silco looked down, "It's because I'm different."

"I heard that all before," Morgan ranted, "I mean, it's stupid. The 'superior' kids beat up the ones who seem unusual and unique. They can't help but be who they are. How different can you be- oh..." During Morgan's drawn out rant, Silco had removed his hat. Behind the cap revealed pointed ears, "Elf?" He nodded.

"Ok, off with you then Silco Pine the Elf. Stay out trouble," she shuffled the boy off into this house. After making sure Mrs. Pine took Silco inside, Morgan shouldered her new Lethal Cannon of Obliteration and strolled through the streets until she was back at the Mantis Lounge. She had a funny feeling about that kid and she knew that she would meet Silco soon.

* * *

"We'll be out in 2 minutes," Curly Beard clapped his hands in enthusiasm, "Then it's show time! Mr. Truman, be ready for your speech! Make sure to speak loud and clear for the council is sitting down below with the people.

Scott checked his watch anyway, he noticed he was missing a few soldiers. The two from the Neverland crew as well as Xandra. He asked around to see if anybody knew where they were. Most shook their heads or just shrugged, but when he checked with Curly Beard, he simply waved off the concern, "They'll be fine. Probably seeking out adventure and fun. You know how kids are. Ooh! I think it's time!"

Scott had never met an Ozian with this kind of an attitude. Ozians would care for one another and were extremely friendly and close with people, even total strangers, "You don't understand what a team is do you," Scott crumpled his speech in his hand and gave it to Curly Beard, "I'll be looking for them, you take the speech. And by the way, you know the Wizard's birthday is coming up, right? Do you have any idea what he would like?"

"I believe he has an eye on a new muffler. But you know how he is, too humble to say anything,"

That was all Scott needed to hear, "Thank you," Then he marched down the stairs in search for his soldiers.

* * *

John instantly took back what he said about Jason and Kavika and wished either one of them were here to save the day. But instead it was just scrawny little Asian boy, fending himself with nothing but a velvet rope. The Cyborg marched slowly but they were coming after him and Xandra for sure.

"Ok. What's your purpose here?" He asked, hiding the fear in his voice.

The Cyborg man whirred and tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand. John tried a different approach, "You! Here! Why?!"

Circuits sparking, the Cyborg's red eye flashed. _Are we getting somewhere here?_But the Cyborg did something that John was nearly unprepared for. It brought its fist up where its blaster cannons were and pointed it at John.

In monotone the Cyborn said, "You are in league with the Galleanian. You must be destroyed."

"What?"

"John!" The said boy found Xandra being cornered by the rest of the Cyborgs. She stood still with her hands in the air, surrendering almost, "These Cyborgs think we're Galleanian!"

"Who are they?"

"They exterminated half of the Cyborg race!"

"Not good," Then John turned to the Cyborg in front of him, "Listen, we are not the Gallee, Gallenini, or whatever you want to destroy! We're human,"

A Cyborg nearest Xandra held up a scanner that resembled too much of one used at supermarkets. It flared a red light at Xandra and a electronic beeps sounded.

"My scanners indicate that you are 50% human and composed of 5% of Galleanian metal. You are from Gallean and you must be eliminated,"

_Half human? _

John, fazed by the results for only a second, followed the direction of the scanner and traced it to Xandra's badge. Of course, there was something fishy about the badges. He unclasped his own badge and threw it across the room, "See! We're not Galleanian! It's just a badge! Xandra, take off your badge!"

Xandra followed her new acquaintance's orders and chucked her badge at a Cyborg. Then in a swift move, the swarm of Cyborgs pivoted and trudged to where Xandra's and John's badges were. They all brought their fists up and- ZING! Red streams of light were shot out and targeted the badges. The room seemed to quake at the power of the lasers. John's mind couldn't put the experience into words. All he could remember that when the Cyborgs' were done, all that was left was a pile of dust.

The Cyborg John had conversed with seemed to be the leader for he had stood in front of the others and towered above all of them, "I detect signs of Galleanian activity 40ft. away from current location. We must eliminate them all and report back to Avidma."

John had to act fast. He needed to warn Scott. And with the guidance of the tv shows he had watched when he was young, John swung his velvet rope like a cowboy's lasso then whipped it forward as Indiana Jones would, thunking one Cyborg on the head and disrupting its circuits. He reeled it back in and repeated the motion to another one.

Then John skirted around the mass of robotic figures to reach Xandra. Grabbing her hand, he ran through the swarm and into the main hallway. They spotted Scott ahead and skidded to a stop, "Where are the troops?" John asked hastily.

Scott, on the other hand, wanted answers, "They're out on the balcony. Wait, wh-?"

"It's not just them we have to worry about," Xandra reminded John, "Remember, everyone wearing the badges. That means officials, council members, the police, the V.I.P's. Where are they?"

"On the streets with the civilians. What is this about?" Then he heard the metal clanking echoing from the end of the hallway, "Venjix!"

"No, it's Cyborgs! Come on!" John pushed both Xandra and Scott towards the balcony to warn the others.

Xandra filled Scott in on what happened as they dashed towards the balcony, "Where are they coming from?"

"I couldn't check!"

ZING

Xandra barely missed a laser aimed for her head. She ducked but when she looked up, the laser had hit the knight suit displays in the hall heading towards the balcony, bringing down the metal spear the knights held. A chain reaction occurred as one by one, a spear fell from the knights' grips. This created walls of a blades. The trio halted before it. There was no way to cross without coming out unscathed.

"Why didn't they get the vases?" John shouted. Then Scott hatched an idea.

"Thankfully this is just tile," Scott shot the vase full of flowers on the podium nearest him with his Nitro Blaster, shattering the porcelain on the floor along with the water spilled onto the floor. The knights were unaffected, still holding their lances to barricading the corridor.

"You're supposed to be aiming at the knights!" Xandra said, disappointed at how terrible of a shot their leader was. She felt the water from the vase stain her sandals. Not good to have wet sandals while escaping angry Cyborgs. Scott ignored her and did the same thing with the blaster for the remaining vases until the hallway was slippery. He urged his two charges to follow him in the opposite direction, straight towards the Cyborgs. Scott stopped a foot away from the head Cyborg. Its eye shone intensely, Xandra could feel the fury in its stare. Scott whirled Xandra before she could stare any longer. He did the same with John and without any warning, charged at the flooded corridor leading to the balcony together.

John knew how this was going to be, they were to glide on the water like a slippery water slide. Xandra understood too. And with no difficulty, they leaped and landed on their knees, leaning back to avoid the knights' spears and to maintain their speed. It was if they were on a slippery water slide, heading straight towards the door. Scott blasted the balcony door open at the last possible moment before an impromptu crash could occur. They emerged on the other side to find a mass of civilians in green gasping and pointing.

Curly Beard paused the speech to turn around to see what the new object of interest was. He didn't see much for a fist made contact with his face. Scott withdrew his fist and slammed the royal adviser onto the balcony ledge. Just one more centimeter and Curly Beard could have fallen 20 feet below. This earned many screams and worried outbursts. The council members had stood from their chairs to stare in surprise.

Scott interrogated him, "Who are you working for?" John saw his friends stand up from their chairs in surprise. Kyle was brave enough to come between Scott and Curly Beard, "Scott, what are you doing? He is the Wizard's advisor."

"Yes, I am. Why do you dare do this to me!"Curly Beard shouted, "The news of the fall of Circuitania must have broke his common sense."

"Shut up!. You're a spy. Avidma's spy in Emerald City. You must have harnessed enough of the Captain's dark magic to conjure a storm that night. Giving ample amount of time for the Cyborgs to help hack into the portal system and transport here,"

"You gave everybody these medals and badges made from the Cyborgs' sworn enemy, enabling them to attack anybody with Galleanian metal," John concluded, "That's why you were so eager for us to wear them!"

"How long has this man been serving under the Wizard?" Xandra called down to the councilmen below.

The council gathered and discussed this for a while before coming up with an accurate guess, "For about a few months or so, I believe," shouted one councilman.

"The storm was a month ago," Xandra breathed before rushing over to the balcony door to alert when the Cyborgs were coming.

"How did you find out, Scott?" Jason asked.

"I saw through his disguise. He said that the Wizard would like a new muffler for his birthday. But every Ozian knows that the Wizard doesn't have a birthday. At least, no one knows is sure when it is,"

"Ugh," was all Curly Beard could say, "I guess you caught me. But that doesn't stop the invasion. Avidma is going to take this happy-go-lucky world and turn it into an empire where evil and darkness shall be the norm."

Scott handed the spy over to a palace guard. He heard Xandra utter an "Uh-oh," Scott peeked through the balcony Cyborgs had destroyed the knights and were treading over the wet hallway. Their mechanical suits were still waterproof. It would only take a moment for them to arrive onto the balcony. But that was only a third of the Cyborg party. The rest were probably making their way towards other exits to get to the festival.

Scott knew this might be true, so he commanded his troops in the balcony to take their weapons out and climb down to meet the Cyborg in a violent confrontation. John saw each soldier took out blasters from their socks and purses. Even though it was a suit and tie event, these soldiers were prepared for the worst. The troops hung grappling hooks onto the balcony and they zipped down to the streets.

Emerald City police force met with the troops and were equipped with their own means of defense. It was dead silence. Ozians only stood where they were, no one had made a move to safety. They were watching this as spectators of a sport or tournament. John wanted to warn all of them because he had seen what happened at the Battle of Hunfrid, he had almost had his friends die for the cause of a world so different from theirs. People were going to die for this war. They needed to understand that. They should save themselves when they have the chance.

Thumping and clanking of metal could be heard from every part of the street, getting louder and louder with each second. Then there was a blast. John leaned over on the balcony railing in time to see the Cyborgs smashing through the doors of the palace. Then the rapid firing occurred. The troops and police force shot at the Cyborgs with full power, but the Cyborgs were shielded with a force field built into their suits.

John did not like these odds. The troops kept on firing but their charge would soon run out. He devised a logical tactic that the troops could use. He took all that he knew about Cyborgs. For having read so many science fiction novels, he knew that a Cyborg is a human inside a metallic suit and,like a Dalek, had all emotion drained from the person. Many humans could control their suits, such as Iron Man, but some didn't have the mental strength to handle the technology and so the metal overpowers the human. He just needed to shut down the metal suits, or at least, direct them back to the portals.

He had been working on an invention, close to a universal remote and could control anything with wires. John cursed loudly. He left it at home. Then he needed to construct a new one. He pulled out his phone and began typing furiously on it, if he could access the file that he saved onto it then he would be able to have most of what he needed. His eyes kept switching from the screen to the action. Taylor and Kyle were alright, holding off the Cyborgs and even taking a few hits for a some civilians. Jason and Kavika were unlike themselves. He saw how Jason trip Kavika with his blaster and how Kavika would "accidentally" fire at Jason. Those two were not on friendly terms.

_Bing_

Found the file. He pulled it up then after modifying the settings on his phone, he had his universal remote. No time to test, just point then press the button. He just hoped this worked. Aiming his phone at one Cyborg, he punched his phone screen and waited. Consequently, the Cyborg jerked to a halt.

Xandra, amazed at this, stopped monitoring the fight to analyze John's invention, "What did you press?"

John showed her the buttons on his screen, "Pause,"

"Can you get the others?"

"It's the same signal. I'll try," Another touch of a few buttons later, he had control of all the robots, "Let's do something fun with these clowns."

Xandra watched as John's eyes sparked with such excitement only a kid would have on Christmas Day, "Aha!" he exclaimed, pointing the phone at the Cyborgs stationed in the middle of the city's center. Taylor was about to swing her axe at one of them before Kyle pulled her back. He pointed to John in the balcony, "He's got this."

"Dance!" The Cyborgs broke into dance. Rhythmically marching and raising their arms to prep for a some partner dance. They bobbed their heads and some were even caught performing iconic dances such as the 'Hammer Time' and 'Gangnam Style'. Taylor had to give props to John. For a trainee, he really did have the Prankster spirit. Then she witnessed one Cyborg took another Cyborg's hand. What came next brought a wave of nostalgia. From the days at the Academy, she could recognize swing dance anywhere.

She grabbed Kyle and a random female from the street and forced them to dance together. The energy had risen to the fullest as the people of the city broke into dance and laughter, just as it was before the Cyborgs had interrupted.

Xandra couldn't believe how quickly the atmosphere changed from dire to dance. Though what happened next , she wasn't nearly prepared for. Curly Beard, in the midst of the dancing, had pried the guards' hands off of him and began escaping through the door. Xandra dropped everything and pursued him. She caught up to him at the Portal Chambers. But before she could catch him, he disappeared into a Portal.

Rushing towards the control systems, she analyzed the settings and was out to find out where the Cyborgs came from. On the chart, she saw that the Cyborgs had used an unregistered Portal in the Western Realm region. Pinpointing on the exact location took a little longer but when it came, she printed out the vital information to alert everyone. Xandra just hoped that Scott would know how to handle this.

**A/N: This chapter is long overdue. Over 6,000 words! That's like two chapters, so you better be satisfied Domestic Heart! I have big plans for the third and final story in this epic series. I promise it would not disappoint. **

**Curly Beard will come back later in the story as well as Silco Pine. It's going to be an interesting summer. I'm planning to finish my story in the Power Ranger category so I could spend the entire summer building this story and planning for Prophetical Seven: The End.  
**

**Happy Memorial Day!  
**

***~Phoebee~* (It's weird not typing Bluefire510)**


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